Puhar, Mayiladuthurai

Puhar (also known as Poompuhar) is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was once a flourishing ancient port city known as Kaveri Poompattinam, which is described in Post Sangam literature like Silappadikaram, Manimekalai, Paṭṭiṉappālai (Sangam Literature) and Akananuru (Sangam Literature) as the capital of the Early Chola kings in Tamilakam. Puhar is located near the mouth of the Kaveri river, on the sea coast. It is mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.

Marine archaeological research (conducted by the National institute of marine archaeology, Goa) indicates that much of the town was washed away by progressive erosion and floods. In the 1960s and 1970s, archaeological research was conducted under the archaeologist K. V. Soundararajan. Submerged wharves and several meter lengths of pier walls excavated in recent times have corroborated the literary references to Poompuhar. It was rebuilt several times after that. Pottery dating back to the 4th century BCE has been discovered off shore by marine archaeologists east of the town.