Kaveripattinam

Kaveripattinam, also transliterated Kaveripattanam and identified by some scholars with the ancient port city of Puhar, is an historic port town on the southeastern coast of the Indian subcontinent. It is associated with the Cauvery (Kaveri) delta in present-day Tamil Nadu, India, and is located in the area of Nagapattinam district. In Tamil literature, particularly the Sangam corpus, Kaveripattinam is depicted as a thriving maritime hub, linking the Tamil kingdoms with overseas trade networks across the Bay of Bengal, the Roman world, and beyond. The city is often described as a capital or important urban center of early Tamil polities, with silks, pepper, pearls, and other commodities passing through its harbour.

Archaeological evidence linked to Kaveripattinam includes finds of Roman-era trade ware and other material indicative of long-distance commerce, and scholars have identified a coastal site near Nagapattinam as a probable location for the ancient port. However, the exact location and the political status of the city in different periods are subjects of scholarly debate. The harbour's decline is commonly attributed to changes in river courses, silting, and coastal processes that diminished its commercial importance by late antiquity.

Today the name remains a facet of Tamil historical tradition and literature, and the site is cited in studies of ancient Indian maritime commerce and urbanism in the Tamil region.