Ptolemy refers to Nagapattinam as Nikam and mentions it as one of the most important trade centres of the ancient Tamil country.

[2] This view is doubtful as there is no contemporary evidence to prove the existence of the town as a metropolis in the name of "Nikama" or "Nikam".

[2] The place is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham as Nagai in the 5th to 9th century CE[5] Vaishnava canon, by Alvars.

[4] The neighbouring port, Kaveripoompattinam (modern day Poompuhar), was the capital of the Chola kingdom of the Sangam Age, referred to widely in Tamil scriptures like Paṭṭiṉappālai.

Ten villages were transferred from the Portuguese to the Dutch – Nagappattinam Port, Puthur, Muttam, Poruvalancheri, Anthanappettai, Karureppankadu, AzhingiMangalam, Sangamangalam, Thiruthinamangalam, Manjakollai, Nariyankudi.

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, triggering a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean.

[13] Nagapattinam was one of the regions severely affected in Tamil Nadu, accounting for 6,064 of the 8,009 casualties in the state,[14] predominantly from the fishing community who resided close to the seashore.

The district of Nagapattinam lies on the shores of the Bay of Bengal between latitude 10.7906°N and Longitude 79.8428°E an area of 1,397 square kilometres (539 sq mi).

[17] In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Nagapattinam one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).

[19] According to the 2011 census, Nagapattinam district had a population of 698,094 with a sex-ratio of 1,025 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929.

The Collector's main responsibilities include revenue administration, Executive Magistracy, maintaining law and order, licensing and regulatory functions, disaster management, civil supplies, public distribution, social welfare, excise, transport, mining, labour laws, elections, legal affairs, census, general administration, treasury management and co-ordination with various departments of the state and central governments.

The Collector is also the head of various committees formed at the district level for the various central and state government schemes.

[29] The functions of the municipality are devolved into six departments: general administration/personnel, Engineering, Revenue, Public Health, Town Planning, and Information Technology (IT).

On the coast between Tharamgambadi and Nagapattinam lies the small district of Karaikal, an enclave belonging administratively to the Puducherry Union Territory.

[32] There are a total of three legislative assembly constituencies in the district, namely, Kilvelur, Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam.

The Kanduri festival is a 14-day event celebrated for the anniversary) of the saint Hazrat Shahul Hamid (1490–1579 CE), for whom the minaret was built.

[39] The festival is celebrated in commemoration of the anniversary of the saint's death, and pilgrims from various religions participate in the rituals and rites.

The festival is also seen as a sacred exchange between Hindus and Muslims expressing solidarity of mixed faith in the region.

[40] It is believed that 60 percent of the shrines were built by Hindus and historically the minaret has many domestic and international visitors.

The town is known for the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, a Roman Catholic church built during the 17th century.