According to a local myth, the tree is named after Thimmamma, a woman who committed sati (suicide by throwing herself on the funeral pyre of her husband's dead body).

The residents of the region strongly believe that if a childless couple worships Thimmamma they will beget a child in the next year.

A large jatara is conducted at Thimmamma on the day of the Shivaratri festival, when thousands flock to the tree to worship it.

[10] A Telugu-language historical novel Sri Veeraiah Nayakuni charitra (Thimmammamarrimanu kata) (Telugu: శ్రీ వీరయ్య నాయకుని చరిత్ర) was written and published by academic Dr. S. S. Giridhara Prasad Roy, in 1989.

[15] Thimmamma Marrimanu was discussed in the second segment of the BBC series The Tree Spirits (29 August 2017).