Poompuhar, once the biggest port on the east coast, was at it's peak under the earlier Chola kings. Because of the exquisite beauty of the port town, it came to be called Poompuhar. Another name of Poompuhar was Kaveripoompattinam. There is a fine beach, calm water draw a lot of people to this place.

The greatness of the city is brought out in some of the poems in Sangam literature and also by Silappathikaram and Manimekalai among the epics.