Nagore is a small coastal town 5 km north of Nagapattinam, almost entirely defined by the Nagore Dargah — the shrine of Meeran Sahib (Shahul Hamid Badshah), a 16th-century Sufi saint who travelled from north India and settled here. The dargah is one of the most important Muslim pilgrimage sites in south India and draws pilgrims from across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Sri Lanka, including many Hindus.
The complex covers about five acres with an impressive 40-metre tower (Periya Minara) built in 1760 by the Thanjavur king. The golden dome building houses the saint’s tomb with silver doors. Three subsidiary shrines are connected to the main campus.
The town also has the ancient Naganathaswamy Temple — the proximity of a major Sufi dargah and a Shiva temple in the same small town is itself a reflection of this part of south India’s long tradition of inter-religious coexistence.
The annual Kandhuri Urs festival, during the Islamic month of Jumada al-Thani, draws enormous crowds over fourteen days. A procession with floats and flags travels from Nagapattinam to Nagore before the festival concludes with a ceremony at the tomb.
Nagore is accessible from Nagapattinam by local bus or auto in under 15 minutes.