Tuberculosis of the submandibular salivary gland is a rare condition and only a few cases have been reported in literature. Tubercular sialadenitis is most frequently seen in immunosuppressed patients. Diagnosis without a high index of suspicion is difficult.  Although fine needle aspiration cytology is useful in diagnosis, polymerase chain reaction for mycobacterium tuberculosis is a reliable diagnostic tool, and if available, it should be performed before surgical intervention to enable differential diagnosis of a salivary gland tumor. We report a case of the submandibular salivary gland tuberculosis  with lymph node metastasis for its rarity and diagnostic dilemma