Poompuhar (ancient Kaveripoompatinam) was the main port of the Chola kingdom in the early centuries CE, one of the great trading cities of the ancient world where ships from Rome, Arabia, and Southeast Asia unloaded their goods. The site lies 20 km north of Nagapattinam, at the mouth of the Kaveri River, and most of the ancient city is now underwater — submerged by a gradual rise in sea level over two millennia.
The land portion has an archaeological museum with finds from the excavations, including pottery, terracotta figurines, and Roman coins that testify to the port's reach. A set of reconstructed structures gives some sense of scale. The beach here is attractive and largely empty. The Tamil Nadu government has developed a Silappathikaram memorial gallery celebrating the Sangam-era epic set here. The overall site is atmospheric despite its modest scale — standing at the river mouth where Roman merchants once unloaded wine amphorae is worth the trip from Nagapattinam.