Shri O.S.Manian M.P., (India): July 2011

Nagapattinam (Tamil: நாகப்பட்டினம் (nākappaṭṭinam) (previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam District. It is a prominent seaport on the east coast of India and an important centre of trade and commerce.
The town of Nagapattinam dates back to the Sangam period. The Chudamani Vihara in Nagapattinam was constructed by the Medieval Cholas. Nagapattinam was settled by the Portuguese and later, the Dutch under whom it served as the capital of Dutch Coromandel from 1660 to 1781. In November 1781, Nagapattinam was conquered by the British East India Company. It served as the capital of Tanjore district from 1799 to 1845. In 1991, it became the capital of the newly-created Nagapattinam District. The town was severely damaged by the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004.
Sea-borne trade and fishing are the major sources of income for the town. There are also a number of pilgrimage sites and tourist destinations, notable amongst them being Sikkal Singaravelan Temple, Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, the Nagore Dargah and Puhar.

Administration

Nagapattinam District was formerly a part of Thanjavur District. The district boundary is shared by Tiruvarur, Karaikal, Tanjore and Cuddalore districts. Its population at the 2001 Census was nearly 1.5 million. It is divided into seven taluks. All but two of them are coastal, and all are named after their main towns, which are their administrative centres. From north to south, they are Sirkazhi, Tharangambadi, Mayiladuthurai (non-coastal), Nagapattinam, Kilvelur, Thirukkuvalai (non-coastal), and Vedaranyam. It is bordered on the east by the Bay of Bengal and on the south by the Palk Strait. On the coast between Tharamgambadi and Nagapattinam lies the small district of Karaikal, an enclave belonging administratively to the Pondicherry Union Territory.
This is the only district in Tamil Nadu to be formed out of two disjoint regions. The district headquarters Nagapattinam is located in the southern part which is less populated than the northern one. But people from the most populous northern part have to come down all the way to headquarters either by entering other district (Thiruvarur) or other Union territory (Karaikal of Puducherry) for any official purposes. Though this causes a lot of problems to the locals government is seeming unconcerned about it.

Location

The District of Nagapattinam lies on the shores of the Bay of Bengal between Northern Latitude 10.7906 degrees and 79.8428 Degrees Eastern Longitude an area of 2715. Velankanni is tourism place of Tamil Nadu 83 Square kilometers in its fold. The District capital, Nagapattinam lies on the eastern coast, 350 kilometers down south of the State capital Chennai andof Tiruchirappalli.