Poompuhar Marine Archaeology Museum

The Poompuhar Marine Archaeology Museum is a state-run archaeological museum located in the coastal town of Poompuhar (Kaveripoompattinam) in Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu. It displays artifacts recovered from onshore and offshore excavations of the ancient Chola port town, including pottery, beads, brick structures and underwater finds. The museum documents the maritime history and submerged heritage of Poompuhar, noted in Sangam literature, and serves as an interpretive centre for visitors to the historic port site.

Visitors can expect a small, single-storey museum complex near Poompuhar Beach displaying excavated artifacts from the ancient port city. Galleries contain pottery, terracotta objects, beads, coins, brick fragments, wooden remains and photographs/maps of underwater explorations off the Poompuhar coast. Information panels explain the history of Kaveripoompattinam as an early Chola port and the marine archaeological work undertaken. The setting is coastal and quiet, with open grounds around the building and easy access to nearby beach and heritage sites.

Poompuhar, anciently known as Kaveripoompattinam or Puhar, was a major port and capital of the early Cholas at the mouth of the River Kaveri. Celebrated in Sangam literature and the Tamil epic Silappathikaram, the town was a centre of maritime trade. Onshore excavations and offshore marine archaeological explorations have revealed brick wharves, pottery, and submerged structures indicating an ancient urban settlement and its later submergence.

The museum preserves and interprets the cultural heritage of the ancient Tamil port town described in Sangam literature. It highlights Poompuhar's role in early Tamil maritime culture, trade and urban life, and its association with the epic Silappathikaram. The displays help visitors understand the continuity of Tamil coastal heritage and the archaeological efforts to document the submerged cultural landscape.