Why visit Nagapattinam
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 5 parks and trails, 1 place to eat, 6 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Tamil Nadu Fisheries University and Nagapattinam Lighthouse.
Weather in Nagapattinam
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Nagapattinam
Nagapattinam (nākappaṭṭinam, previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam district. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval Cholas (9th–12th century CE) and served as their important port for commerce and east-bound naval expeditions.
From the Wikipedia article Nagapattinam (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Nagapattinam on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do2
Tamil Nadu Fisheries University
School · 6.6 km
State public university in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India
Museums and landmarks1
Parks, trails and playgrounds5
Restaurants and cafes1
Chettinad Hotel - near train station
Restaurant · Curry, Fish, Indian
101 netagi road near railway station
Mo-Su 11:30-13:00, 16:00-17:30
History
There are urn burials in and around the city from the Sangam period indicating some level of human habitation. Except the mention in Ptolemy as 'Νίγαμα Μετρόπολις,' there are no direct references to Nagapattinam during the 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE. The neighbouring port, Kaveripoompattinam (modern-day Poompuhar), was the capital of the Chola kingdom of the Sangam Age, referred to widely in Tamil scriptures such as Paṭṭiṉappālai.
The Soundarajaperumal temple finds mention in the Brahmanda Purana in the Uttarakanda Jnana Yoga section. It is also glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 5th to 9th century CE Vaishnava canon, written by the Alvars. It is considered one of the important temples visited by Tirumangai Alvar. The temple is classified as a Divya Desam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book.
The early works of Tevaram by the 7th-century poets Appar and Sambandar mention the town had fortified walls, busy road building and a busy port. The inscriptions from the Kayarohanswami temple indicate the construction was initiated during the reign of the Pallava king, Narasimha Pallava II (691–729 CE).
From the History section of Nagapattinam on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay6
Churches and places of worship4
Shopping1
Healthcare27
Map of Nagapattinam
47 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Thanjavur Air Force Station (TJV) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 80 km away.
- Puravachcheri 2 km west, about 2 min by car
- Manjakollai 3 km west, about 3 min by car
- Velankanni 9 km south, about 9 min by car
- Kilvelur 11 km west, about 11 min by car
- Tirumalarājanpatnam 12 km north, about 12 min by car
- Tittachcheri 13 km northwest, about 13 min by car
- Kāraikāl 17 km north, about 17 min by car
- Thiruvarur 23 km west, about 23 min by car
- Talaināyar Agrahāram 24 km south, about 24 min by car
- Thanjavur 77 km west, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Negapatnam van Choromandel, Unknown engraver after Johannes Kip (1653-1722), Public domain
- "CSI St Peter's Chruch Nagapattinam.jpg", St.peter's church nagapattinam, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Nagapattinam1, Ssriram mt, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built November 2, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.