Nagapattinam was a Buddhist centre from 8th century CE. In 11th century CE, Chudamani Vihara, a Buddhist vihara (monastery) was built by Javanese king Sri Vijaya Soolamanivarman with the patronage of Raja Raja Chola.Buddhism flourished until 15th century CE and the buildings of the vihara survived until 18th century. In Chola"s Empire, Nagapattinam was the prominent port of Cholas and Cholas used this port not only for trade but also as conquering gateway to the east. This town still has traces of Saiva temples that were built by Cholas.Nagapattinam was referred to by early writers and the Portuguese as "the city of Coromandel".In early 16th century the Portuguese start commercial contacts with the town; in 1554 they establish a commercial centre. In 1657 the Dutch occupied the town, taking it from the Portuguese to become their chief possession in India. In 1676, when the Maratha prince Venkaji had established himself at Tanjore, the grant of Negapatam to the Dutch was confirmed. It was taken by the British in 1781, and from 1799 to 1845 it was the headquarters of Tanjore district.Nagapattinam was one of the regions severely affected by the tsunami which followed the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

Nagapattinam is known for its hot summers and warm winters, owing to its unique position by the sea. The temperatures remain for most part of the year in between a maximum high of 32.0 degrees Celsius and a minimum low of 24.6 degrees Celsius. Thus, the best time to plan a tour to Nagapattinam would be during the monsoons when the coast is at its most beautiful or during the winters when the weather is a natural help in discovering the exquisite beauty of the Tamilian coastline during a tour to Nagapattinam.lies between Northern Latitude 10.10’ and 11.20’ East Longitude 79.15’ and 79.50’.

Nagapattinam had a population of 92,525. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Nagapattinam has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 69%. In Nagapattinam, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. The major language spoken in the Nagapattinam District is Tamil spoken as a mother tongue by Hindus, Christians and Muslims alike. The vast majority of the population are Hindu by religion, with a Muslim minority of about 8% and much smaller groups of Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains.The main occupation of Nagapattinam is fishing in the waters of Bay of Bengal and selling them in the town's fish market. There are a large number of ice factories for preserving the fish caught.Away from the coast of Nagapattinam, agriculture, education, food packing etc... are practised, with agriculture being the most important occupation in the villages surrounding the town.

The Vast saline marshes of the Great Vedarayam Swamp forms the major refuge for migratory and resident birds along-with rich terrestrial population in the adjoining tropical dry evergreen forest of Kodiakkadu represented by approx. 300 plant species. Both the habitats inhabit more than 260 spp of resident and migratory birds belong to 50 families. With the onset of NE monsoons during October, a large number of passerine and aquatic species migrate to the area from Soviet Union, Iran, Australia, Europe, N-India and other places. Important species include Greater and lesser flamingos, Pelicans, Storks, Gulls, Wild ducks, Stints, Sandpipers, Plovers etc. Most of the birds return by the end of January i.e. in the beginning of salt extraction activity.A wild life sanctuary was formed at Point Calimere in 1967 on an area of 1729 hectares to preserve wild in the original surroundings. The sanctuary is unique of having a large concentration of black bucks or Indian antelopes. Due to the absence of hills and forests, the district is devoid of wild animals like tigers, elephants, panther's etc.