[4] Practices in Muthappan temples are quite distinct from those in other Hindu temples of Kerala.The rituals are related to Shakteyam where Panja-ma-kara are offered, sometimes including madyam (in this case,Toddy) and mamsam (generally flesh, in this case - fish).

The main liturgy is a ritual enactment of Muthappan, performed daily at the Parassinikadavu temple.

The ritual performers of Muthappan Theyyam belong to the Vannan community of Kerala.

The dual divine figures Thiruvappana and Vellatom are similar to those of the Theyyamkaliyattem of the northern Malabar region.

As these acts were against the way of life, His parents earnestly requested Him to stop this practice, but the boy turned a deaf ear to their warnings.

She offered boiled gram (chickpea), slices of coconut, burnt fish and toddy to the Muthappan.

(Even today, in Sree Muthappan temples, the devotees are offered boiled grams and slices of coconut.)

After spending some years at Kunnathoor, Sree Muthappan decided to look for a more favorable residence so that He could achieve His objective of His Avataram.

Here he met another muthappan; Thiruvappan called him cherukkan, meaning 'young boy', in Malayalam, and accompanied him.

There are two carved bronze dogs at the entrance of the temple that are believed to symbolize the bodyguards of the God.

Local legends enhance the importance of dogs to Sree Muthappan, such as the story that follows: Tradition requires that the annual Ulsavam festival of the Muthappan Temple at Parassinikkadavu start by a procession led by a male member of the Thayyil clan of Thayyil from Thiyya community, Kannur from the family home to the main altar of the temple, where he offers a 'Pooja' (prayer) to the God.

[11] Several Muthappan temples are seen in Kannur and Kasaragod districts in Kerala and Coorg district in Karnataka and several temples are built by the migrated devotees in Coimbatore Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahemadabad, Delhi, Chennai, and also in Gulf countries[citation needed].

This signifies the popularity of the god in the minds of the people of North Malabar of Kerala and Coorg.

An elder member of the Koroth family regularly visited the place now known as the Muthappan temple and drank madhu (toddy), the liquor fermented from coconut sap.

Several years after the death of the scholar, the natives experienced serious problems and called upon an astrologer for assistance in finding out the cause.

After the death of the scholar, he no longer got madhu and, in a fit of pique, began creating disturbances.