The place is located around 7 km (4.3 mi) from Kumbakonam, a city in Thanjavur district, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

There are a number of inscriptions from the Chola dynasty associating the importance capital during the regime of Sundara (Parantaka II) (957-70).

The historical village Pazhayarai is located around 7 km (4.3 mi) from Kumbakonam, a town in Thanjavur district, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

There are lot of small villages inside the historical town of Pazhayarai – Thirunandipura Vinnagaram, Sathi mutram, Patteeswaram with all their temples.

The first literary mention of Pazhayarai is found in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonic literature Thevaram by saint Sambandar.

He mentions the Saiva temple occupied by Jains, which was cleared to be opened for Shiva worshippers under the influence of the saint on the ruling Muttaraiyar king.

[3] The city had palaces where members of the royal family resided even after shifting the capital to Thanjavur during the regime of Rajaraja Chola.

[1] Rajaraja's sister Kundavai resided in the place and continued to issue orders and grants from the palace as seen in the inscriptions.

[2] Systematic excavation was carried out in the place by the Department of Archaeology of the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1983-4 at Nandan Medu, Keezha Pazhayarai and Nathankoil.

[6] Nathan Kovil (also called Thiru Nandipura Vinnagaram Temple), dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE.