Madurai Nayak Dynasty - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

**Madurai Nayak Kingdom**
Approximate extent of the Madurai Nayakar Kingdom, circa 1570 CE.
Official language Official language An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a...	Telugu Telugu language Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu... , Tamil Tamil language Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
Capitals	Madurai Madurai Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and... 1529 – 1616, Tiruchirapalli Tiruchirapalli Tiruchirappalli ) , also called Tiruchi or Trichy , is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli District. It is the fourth largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu and also the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state... 1616–1634, again Madurai 1634 – 1695, Tiruchirapalli1695-1716,Madurai 1716–1736.
Government	Governors, then Monarchy
Preceding States	Pandiyan Dynasty, Delhi Sultanate Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty... , Vijayanagara Empire Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
Succeeding States	Nawab of Carnatic, British India, Kingdom of Mysore Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire... (for Dindigul, Coimbatore, Salem provinces)
Breakaway States	Ramnad Ramnad estate The Ramnad Estate is a permanently settled Zamindari estate in the Ramnad subdivision of the Madura district of the erstwhile Madras Presidency in British India. It comprises the southern and eastern parts of Madura district.The estate was ruled by a Zamindar who bore the title "Raja"... (circa 1702), Pudukkottai Pudukkottai state Pudukkottai was a princely state in the Madras Presidency which existed from 1680 to 1948. It was one of the five princely states that were under political control of the Government of Madras.- Location :... and Sivaganga Sivaganga estate The estate of Sivaganga , also known as Kingdom of the Lesser Marava, was a permanently settled zamindari estate in the Ramnad sub-division of Madura district, Madras Presidency, British India. Along the estate of Ramnad, it formed one of the two zamindari estates of Ramnad subdivision.The... (from Ramnad)

The Madurai Nayaks or Nayak Dynasty of Madurai were rulers of a region comprising most of modern-day Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

, India, with Madurai

Madurai

Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...

as their capital. The Nayak reign was an era noted for its achievement in arts, cultural and administrative reforms, revitalization of temples previously ransacked by the Delhi Sultans

Delhi Sultanate

The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...

, and inauguration of a unique architectural style.

The dynasty consisted of 13 rulers, of whom 9 were kings, 2 were queens, and 2 were joint-kings. The most notable of these were the king, Tirumalai Nayak, and the queen, Rani Mangammal

Rani Mangammal

Rani Mangammal was a queen regent on behalf of her grandson, in the Madurai Nayak kingdom in present day Tamil Nadu, India, towards the end of the century. She was a popular administrator and is still widely remembered as a maker of roads and avenues, and a builder of temples, tanks and choultries...

. Foreign trade was conducted mainly with the Dutch and the Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, as the British and the French had not yet made inroads in the region.

. They claimed a Bana

Bana Kingdom

The Banas were a dynasty of South India, who claimed descent from the asura Mahabali. The dynasty takes its name from Bana, the son of Mahabali. The Banas faced opposition from several neighbouring dynasties and served some major dynasties such as the Cholas and Pandyas as feudatories, sometimes...

descent .

Muslim dynasty at Madurai

Early in the fourteenth century AD a dispute arose over the succession to the Pandya throne. One claimant appealed for help to emperor Ala-ud-din

Alauddin Khilji

Ali Gurshap Khan better known by his titular name as Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji was the second ruler of the Turko-Afghan Khilji dynasty in India.He was a well and capable ruler. He belonged to the Afghanized Turkic tribe of the Khiljis...

of Delhi

Delhi

Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

, who dispatched his general, Malik Kafur

Malik Kafur

Malik Kafur, General , or Chand Ram as his name was originally, was a slave who became a head general in the army of Alauddin Khilji, ruler of the Delhi sultanate from 1296 to 1316 AD. He was originally seized by Alauddin's army after the army conquered the city of Khambhat...

, in 1310 AD. Malik Kafur marched south, ransacking kingdoms on the way and causing enormous changes to the political configuration of central and Southern India. He marched into Madurai, sacking the town, paralysing trade, suppressing public worship, and making civilian life miserable. The great Meenakshi temple with its fourteen towers was pulled down, destroying the nearby streets and buildings, and leaving only the two shrines of Sundaresvara and Meenakshi intact. The events are controversial: as another account describes them,
Malik Kafur returned to Delhi following these events. The Pandyas protested the invasion, which continued for a few years in spasmodic fashion. The weakness of the Pandya regime caused the neighboring Chera

Chera dynasty

Chera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...

ruler to invade and defeat the Pandya ruler, and he crowned himself in 1313. This was followed by a Chera occupation. However, the Chera occupation was transitory. A Muslim dynasty was soon re-established at Madurai, ruling Madurai, Trichinopoly and even South Arcot

South Arcot

South Arcot is a former district of India, located in the state of Tamil Nadu.South Arcot was the southern portion of the Mughal province of Arcot. Arcot came under the control of a local Nawab after Mughals lost control southern India in the 18th century...

, for the next 48 years, first as feudatories of the Delhi Sultanate

Delhi Sultanate

and later as independent monarchies.

In 1333 AD, during the rule of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, Ala ud din Ahasan Shah declared independence from the Delhi sultanate and ruled the area until he was killed by one of his officers in 1339. Alaud din Udauji Shah (AD 1339–1340) took power in 1339, but soon met with the same fate. Qutb ud din Firoz took over in 1340 AD and was killed in about forty days. Giyaz uddin Muhammad Damghan (AD 1340–1344) ascended the throne in 1340 and later married a daughter of Ahasan Shah. Ibn Batuta visited Madura during his reign and he testifies to his atrocious behaviour. He was defeated initially by the Hoysala Veera Ballala, but later captured and killed Ballala. He died in 1344. Nazir ud din Mahmud Damghan (AD 1344–1356), Adl Shah (AD 1356–1359), Faqr ud din Mubarak (AD 1359–1368) and Ala ud din Sikandar (AD 1368–1377) followed him in succession. When Sikandar was defeated by Bukka in 1377, the region became part of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Vijayanagar Domination, 1365 AD

Muslim rule of the region was overthrown in 1377 AD by the new Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar

Vijayanagara Empire

The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...

, which had been founded at Hampi

Hampi

Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...

. For the next two centuries, this empire withstood repeated Muslim invasions from the north.

Kampana Udaiyar, a Vijayanagar prince and an agent of Bukka Raya who also served as a General in the Vijayanagar army, marched into Madurai in 1372. He expelled the Muslim sultan out of Madurai and started a dynasty, subordinate to the court of Vijayanagar that lasted until 1404. The immediate effect of this victory was the reopening of the Siva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

and Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

temples. The rule was continued by Vijayanagar-appointed governors who had "Nayaka" as a title. King Krishna Devaraya (1509$2–1529$2 AD), the greatest ruler of the Vijayanagar dynasty, exercised close control over this part of his empire.

After ruling for sometime, Kampana Udaiyar left his son Embana Udaiyar in charge of Madurai, who was succeeded by his brother-in-law Porkasa Udeiyar. Around 1404 AD, Porkasa Udaiyar was succeeded by a man named Lakkana Nayakkan, thus bringing the dynastic rule of Kampana Udaiyar to an end. Lekkina Nayakkan jointly ruled Madurai with another Nayaka named Mathanan until 1451 AD.

Between 1451 to 1499 AD, the Madurai regions were ruled by four persons brought by Lakkana Nayakkan whom he declared to be of true Pandya stock. The four persons were Sundara Tol Maha Vilivanathi Rayar, Kaleiyar Somanar, Anjatha Perumal and Muttarasa Thirumalai Maha Vilivanathi Rayar. A commentator, James Nelson, mentions that all the four persons belonged to the same family, and were illegitimate sons of a petty Pandyan chieftain. However, all four of them enjoyed kingly powers for 48 years from 1451 to around 1499 AD and are said to have built four gopurams of the Madurai temple which was destroyed by the Mohemmadans. After the ouster by the Muslims, the Vilivanathis are said to have retired.

The existing four gopurams were built by the following:

East Gopuram was built by Pandiya King Maravarman Sundara Pandiyan in 1216 AD. This is the oldest of all Gopurams.
West Gopuram was built by Parakirama Pandiyan between 1315–1347 AD. This is the second gopuram built without steps to bring goods inside.
South Gopuram was built by Sevvandhi Moorthy Chettiar of Srimalai in AD 1559.
North gopuram was built by Krishna Veerappa Nayakkar between 1564–1572 AD, and left without completion hence it is still called Mottai gopuram meaning Flat tower.

The Nayak Dynasty

Prior to the formation of the Nayak dynasty, Madurai and its surrounding areas were ruled by Bana chieftains. When Kulottunga Chola III conquered Madurai in the 13th century AD, he installed a Bana as the ruler. The Banas were feudatories of both the Cholas and the Pandyas. Therefore, when Sundara Pandya was helped by a Bana chieftain in his campaign against Kulothunga Chola III in about 1216 to 1217 AD, he too gave a part of the Chola country to a Bana as a reward. Subsequently, the Banas ruling as the Nayaka under-lords of the Vijayanagar empire left inscriptions that provide us their names. An inscription of 1477 AD refers to a Thirumalirunjolai Mahabalivana as the ruler of Madurai; and an epigraph dated 1483 AD in Pudukkotai refers to one Bana chieftain named Virapratapa Sundarattoludaiyan Mahabali Vanadhiraya ruling in Conjivaram (Kanchipuram) in 1469 AD The Nayakas appointed to rule Madurai under the Vijayanagar empire were

Narasa Nayakka
Tenna Nayakka
Narasa Pillai
Kuru Kuru Timmappa Nayakka
Kattiyama Kamayya Nayakka
Chinnappa Nayakka
Ayyakarai Veyyappa Nayakka
Visvanatha Nayakka Ayyar

History

After Vishwanatha Nayaka took over the country, it was held by the Nayak dynasty for two centuries, with a few short periods of break, until in a chaotic situation Muslims took it in 1736 for a brief period, and finally the British took it during the 1780$2s.

Origins

In 1538 AD, the Vijayanagara commander Kotikam Nagama Nayaka defeated Veerasekara Chola who occupied the Pandyan region. However, Nagama Nayakka declared independence from the Vijayanagar dynasty instead of handing back the kingdom. A folk story says he did so under the influence of a girl with whom he was in love. To check the rebellion of Nagama Nayaka, emperor Krishnadeva Raya sent a large force under Viswanatha Nayak. Vishwanatha Nayaka was the son of Nagama Nayaka. Viswanatha eventually defeated and imprisoned his father. He was rewarded by the Vijayanagar king who made him the Viceroy of the Tamil Country. Krishnadeva Raya did not punish Nagama Nayak. The emperor gave him some religious work and allowed him to attend the royal court. Viswanatha Nayudu obeyed the orders of the Vijayanagar king nominally, and placed the Pandya on the throne who ruled for a while. However, Vishwanatha Nayaka later set out to rule on his own account; and in 1559 when the Vijayanagara Kingdom was in decline, he established a dynastic rule.

Nagama Nayak

According to historian V. Vriddhagirisan, Nagama Nayak, an officer under Krishnadeva Raya was the brother of Timappa Nayak. As noted above, Nagama Nayak was the father of Visvanatha Nayak (founder of the Madurai Nayak dynastic line). Timappa Nayak was the father of Sevappa Nayak who founded the Tanjore Nayak dynastic line. Hence Viswanatha Nayak and Sevappa Nayak were cousins.

Visvanatha Nayakka Ayyar

Viswanatha Nayaka was appointed as the Vijayanagara

Vijayanagara

Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....

viceroy to Madurai

Madurai

in South India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

during the 16th century. According to the Kaifiyat of Karnata-Kotikam Kings, Vishwanatha Nayudu held the titles of Ayyar and Nayaka.

Viswanatha Nayak was formally crowned as the Madura king by Acyutadeva Maharaya

Achyuta Deva Raya

Tuluva Achyuta Raya was a ruler of a Vijayanagara Empire of South India. He was the younger brother of Krishna Deva Raya, whom he succeeded in 1529. He patronised Kannada poet Chatu Vittalanatha and the great singer Purandaradasa and the Sanskrit scholar Rajanatha Dindima II. Upon his death, the...

. Following his appointment, Viswanatha is said to have set himself immediately to strengthening his capital and improving the administration of his dominions. He was supported by his able general Ariyanatha Mudaliar

Ariyanatha Mudaliar

Ariyanatha Mudaliar was the Vellala Delavoy and the able Chief Minister of the greatest of the Nayaka domains established by the Vijayanagar viceroy and later ruler of Madurai, Viswanatha Nayak...

who led Viswantha Nayak's army and had become second in command taking power along with the latter. He demolished the Pandya rampart and ditch which at that time surrounded merely the walls of Madurai's great temple, and erected in their place an extensive double-walled fortress defended by 72 bastions; and he constructed channels from upper waters of the Vaigai river to supply the kingdom with water. Perhaps the Peranai and Chittanai dams owe their origins to him.

Vishwanatha Nayaka ruled from 900 to 950 AD, and was succeeded by Varadappa Nayaka who ruled for a very short period of about a year. In 945, Dumbicchi Nayakan became the Governor, and after twenty months, he was succeeded by Vishwanatha Nayaka again, until Vitthala Raja took over. Vitthala Raja ruled from 1546 to 1558. Thereafter Vishwanatha Nayaka took over again from 956 to 976. After Vishwanatha Nayak, his son Kumara Krishnappa Nayaka took over and from thereon, the heredity rule of Vishwanatha Nayaka continued.

Introduction of the polygar (palayakkarar) system

In his administrative improvements Viswanatha was ably seconded by his Prime Minister Ariyanatha Mudaliar
Ariyanatha Mudaliar
Ariyanatha Mudaliar was the Vellala Delavoy and the able Chief Minister of the greatest of the Nayaka domains established by the Vijayanagar viceroy and later ruler of Madurai, Viswanatha Nayak...

(or, as he is still commonly called, Ariyanatha), a man born into a poor Vellala

Thondaimandala Mudaliars

Thondaimandala Mudaliar is a Tamil caste in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They trace their lineage to the ancient Chola Velirs...

family in Meippedu village, Tondaimandalam (the present day Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...

district) who had won his way by sheer ability to a high position in the Vijayanagar

Vijayanagara Empire

court. When the Vijayanagara empire fell, he became the Dalavoy (General) and the second-in command to the Vijayanagara

Vijayanagara

viceroy Viswanatha Nayaka of Madurai.

Ariyanatha Mudaliar

Ariyanatha Mudaliar

Ariyanatha Mudaliar was the Vellala Delavoy and the able Chief Minister of the greatest of the Nayaka domains established by the Vijayanagar viceroy and later ruler of Madurai, Viswanatha Nayak...

utilized the palayam or poligar system which was widely used to govern the Nayak kingdom. The system was a quasi-fedual organization of the country, which was divided into multiple palayams or small provinces; and each palayam was ruled by a palayakkarar or a petty chief. Ariyanatha organized the Pandyan kingdom into 72 palayams and ruled over the 72 dry-zone poligars chiefs for over fifty years. The feudal chiefs of southern Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

continue to be specially attached to his memory to this very day. Each was placed in charge of one of the 72 bastions of the Madurai fortifications. They were responsible for the immediate control of their estates. They paid a fixed tribute to the Nayaka kings and maintained a quota of troops ready for immediate service.

The Meenakshi Temple, destroyed by the Mohammedans was re-constructed in 1569. At the entrance of the Thousand Pillar Mandapam, we can still see the statue of Ariyanatha Mudaliar seated on a beautiful horse-back which flanks one side of the entrance to the temple. The statue is still periodically crowned with garlands by modern worshippers. He lived until 1600 and had great influence upon the fate of the Nayaka dynasty until his death.

Ariyanatha Mudaliar was not only the pre-colonial military man but also enjoyed a cult status in southern Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

and became a tutelary patron figure amongst some of the region's cattle-keeping predator groups.

These men did much for the country in those days, founding villages, building dams, constructing tanks and erecting temples. Many of them bore the title of Nayakkan, and hence the common "nayakkanur" as a termination to the place names in this district. They also brought with them the gods of the Deccan, and thus we find in Madurai many shrines to Ahobilam

Ahobilam

Ahobhilam also known as Ahobalam is located in the Allagadda mandal of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located at a distance of 40 km from Nandyal and about 150 km from Kurnool, the district headquarters...

and other deities who rarely are worshipped in the Tamil country. Their successors, the present zamindars of the district, still look upon Ariyanatha as a sort of patron

Patrón

Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...

saint

Saint

A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...

.

Visvanatha Nayaka added the fort of Trichinopoly to his possessions. The Vijayanagar viceroy

Viceroy

A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...

who governed the Tanjore country had failed to police the pilgrim roads which ran through Trichinopoly, to the shrines at Srirangam and Ramesvaram, and devotees were afraid to visit those holy places. Visvanatha exchanged that town for his fort at Vallam, in Tanjore. He then improved the fortifications and town of Trichinopoly, and the temple of Srirangam, and he cleared the banks of the Cauvery river of robbers.

Visvanatha had difficulty with some of the local chieftains, who resisted his authority in Tinnevelly, but after vanquishing them he improved that town and district. Visvanatha died aged and honoured in 1563. He still is affectionately remembered as having been a great benefactor of his country.

Vitthala Raja (1546–1558)

In 1532 the king of Travancore

Travancore

Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...

overran a large part of the Pandya country and defied the authority of Vijayanagar. In response, Achyuta Deva Raya

Achyuta Deva Raya

, king of Vijayanagar from 1530 to 1542$2, organised a successful expedition into the extreme south of India

India

. He exacted tribute from the king of Travancore

Travancore

, suppressed two troublesome chieftains and married the daughter of the Pandya king resulting in the Pandya country being held more firmly and directly by the representatives of the Vijayanagar Empire.

The native chronicles continued to confuse the authority of these suzerains, their governors, and the Pandya rulers, treating each as though it was supreme. Vitthala Raja, a prince of Vijayanagar who invaded Travancore for a second time in 1543, took over Madurai around 1546–1547 and ruled Madurai for 12 years, until 1557–1558. James Nelson mentions that this Vitthala Raja was none other than Rama Raja

Aliya Rama Raya

Rama Raya , popularly known as "Aliya" Rama Raya, was the progenitor of the "Aravidu" dynasty of Vijayanagar Empire. This dynasty, the fourth and last to hold sway over the Vijayanagara Empire, is often not counted as a ruling dynasty of that empire, for reasons delineated below. Rama Raya...

of Vijayanagar.

An inscription in an old Perumal temple at Madura states that certain things were done during the rule of "Rama Raja Vitthala Deva Maha Rayar"; and based on the dates within the short period assigned, Nelson reasons that Vitthala Raja was none other than Rama Raya; and that the name Vitthala was assumed as an epithet by Rama Raya. Rama Raya ruled Madurai more or less directly until 1557–1558; after which the Madurai country was left in a state of chaos, anarchy and confusion. During this time, a Pandya contrived to get himself crowned as the king, but the Raja of Tanjore drove him away. Then a Vijayanagar general drove the Tanjore Raja away from Madurai, and tried to make himself independent.

After this eventful period, Vishwanatha Nayak took over the reins of Madurai again around 1559 and ruled until 1563. After the Nayak dynasty took over Madurai, it raised the Madurai country to probably the highest level of civilisation attainable by a native government.

Kumara Krishnappa (1563—1573)

Viswantha Nayak was succeeded by his son Krishnappa Nayak who along with his father's able minister Ariyanatha expanded the Madurai

Madurai

Kingdom under the Nayaks and brought most of the ancient Pandyan territory under its rule. Kumara Krishnappa is remembered as having been a brave and politic ruler. A revolt occurred among the polygars, during his reign, but its leader Thumbichi Naidu (Dumbicchi Nayakkan) was captured and the trouble was quenched.

Fall of the Vijayanagar Kingdom, 1565

In 1565 the Muslim rulers of the Deccan defeated Vijayanagar, the suzerain of the Nayaks, at the battle of Talikota

Talikota

Talikota is a town in Bijapur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Talikota is a small town in northern Karnataka, about 80 kilometres to the southeast of Bijapur. It lies on the River called Doni. It is famous for the Battle of Talikota in 1565....

. Vijayanagar had to abandon Bellary and Anantapur, flee their capital, and take refuge at Penukonda in Anantapur, then at Vellore, and then at Chandragiri near Tirupathi, which later granted land to the British East India Company to build a fort at the present day Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

. Finally they settled at Vellore

Vellore

Vellore It is considered one of the oldest cities in South India and lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati...

in North Arcot. Their governors at Madurai, Kalahasti, Gingee and Tanjore still paid them tribute and other marks of respect; but in later years, when their suzerainty became weak, the Nayaks ruled independently.

Joint Rulers

Kumara Krishnappa was succeeded in 1573 by his two sons, who ruled jointly and uneventfully until 1595, when they in turn were succeeded by their two sons, one of whom ruled until 1602.

Muttu Krishnappa (1602—1609)

These were followed by Muttu Krishnappa. He is credited with having given the Setupatis of Ramnad a considerable slice of territory in the Maravar

Maravar

Maravar are a Tamil community of the state of Tamil Nadu, southern India, and are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy.Maravars are found predominantly in the Southern districts of Tamilnadu viz., Madurai, Theni, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Thirunelveli,...

country, on condition that they suppress crime and protect pilgrims journeying to Rameswaram. These were the beginnings of Ramnad zamindari.

Muttu Virappa (1609—1623)

Muttu Krishnappa was succeeded by his eldest son, Muttu Virappa. He began the construction of the Dindigul Fort

Dindigul Fort

The Dindigul Fort is a 17th-century hill fort situated in the town of Dindigul in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The fort was built by the Madurai Nayak kings in 1605 and was later passed on to Kingdom of Mysore in the early 18th century. Later it became an important fort during Hyder Ali and...

at Dindigul

Dindigul

Dindigul is a town and municipality in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. The name Dindigul comes from the Portmanteau of “Thindu” meaning pillow and “kal” meaning Rock and refers to the bare hill dominating the city’s both land and skyscape...

on the Hill, along with the Temple on it, which later was completed by Tirumalai Nayak. Muttu Virappa's rule was in general not noteworthy and he is said to have allowed his favourites to tyrannise the people unchecked. Muttu Virappa is said to have had several vassals under him indicating that he must have already obtained great power; and he is stated to have paid the Vijayanagar king at Chandragiri a tribute of 600,000 pagodas in 1616 AD.

Civil War in Vellore

During Muthu Virappa's rule, a civil war involving succession to the throne was taking place in the Vijayanagara Kingdom, now based in Vellore and Chandragiri. Gobburi Jagga Raya, brother of the previous ruler Venkata II’s favourite Queen Obayamma claimed her putative son as the King and murdered Sriranga II

Sriranga II

Sriranga II was nominated in 1614 by King Venkata II to succeed him as king of the Vijayanagara Empire in Southern India...

along with his family in the Vellore Prison. Jagga Raya was strongly challenged by Yachamanedu,the chief of Kalahasti

Nayaks of Kalahasti

The Nayaks of Kalahasti were rulers of Kalahasti and Vandavasi principalities. They belonged to the Velama caste. Members of the group include Chennappa Naicker and his son Venkatapathy. These Nayaks served as loyalists to the Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara Empire.-Damarla Chennappa Nayaka...

who claimed the throne for Rama Deva, the rightful heir whom he had smuggled out from the Vellore Prison. Jagga Raya sought help from the Gingee Nayak

Nayaks of Gingee

The Nayaks of Gingee were the rulers of Gingee principality of Tamil Nadu between the 16th to the 18th century CE. They were subordinates of the imperial Vijayanagara emperors, and were appointed as provincial governors by the Vijayanagar Emperor who divided the Tamil country into three Nayakships...

and Muttu Virappa to attack Yachamanedu and Rama Deva. Yachamanedu and Ramadeva sought support from Raghunatha Nayak of Tanjore, who still treated the Vijaynagar as his authority.

The Battle of Toppur

Jagga Raya assembled a large army near Tiruchirapalli

Tiruchirapalli

Tiruchirappalli ) , also called Tiruchi or Trichy , is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli District. It is the fourth largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu and also the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state...

, the capital of Muttu Virappa comprising the armies of Gingee

Nayaks of Gingee

, Chera

Chera dynasty

, Madurai, and some Portuguese

Portugal

from the coast. Yachama led the forces of Vijayanagara and Kalahasti

Nayaks of Kalahasti

from Vellore

Vellore

and was joined midway by Tanjore forces headed by Raghunatha. Yachama's army was further strengthened by nobles from Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

.

Both the Armies met at Toppur, an open field on the northern banks of River Cauvery, between Tiruchirapalli

Tiruchirapalli

and Grand Anicut

Grand Anicut

The Grand Anicut, also known as the Kallanai , is an ancient dam built on the Kaveri River in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India.It was built by the Chola king Karikalan around the 2nd Century AD and is considered one of the oldest water-diversion or water-regulator structures in the world,...

in late months of 1616. The huge assembly of forces on either side is estimated to be as many as a Million

Million

One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...

soldiers (according to Dr. Barradas in Sewell’s Book) and considered to be one of the biggest battles in the Southern India.

Result

In the battle, Jagga Raya's troops could not withstand the aggression generated by the imperial forces. Yachama and Raghunatha, the generals of the imperial camp led their forces with great discipline. Jagga Raya was slain by Yachama, and his army broke the ranks and took flight. Yethiraja, the brother of Jagga Raya, had to run for his life.

Muttu Virappa tried to escape, he was pursued by Yachama's general Rao Dama Nayani who captured him near Tiruchirapalli

Tiruchirapalli

. The Nayak of Gingee

Gingee

Gingee is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The nearest town with a railway station is Tindivanam, 28 km away....

in the encounter lost all his forts except Gingee Fort

Gingee Fort

Gingee Fort also known as Chenji or Jinji in Tamil Nadu, India is one of the few surviving forts in Tamil Nadu, India. It lies in Villupuram District, from the state capital, Chennai, and is close to the Union Territory of Pondicherry...

. And the putative son of Venkata II, who was the cause of all the trouble was captured.

The victory was celebrated by the imperial armies headed by the Thanjavur Nayak and Yachamanedu, who planted pillars of victory and crowned Rama Deva as Rama Deva Raya, the Vijayanagar King, in early months of 1617. Ramadeva

Rama Deva Raya

Rama Deva Raya, ascended the throne after a gruesome war in 1617 as the King of Vijayanagara Empire. In 1614 his father, Sriranga II the preceding King and his family were gruesomely murdered by rival factions headed by Jagga Raya, who was one of their kins...

was barely 15 years old when he ascended the throne.

Tirumalai Nayak (1623—1659)

Meanwhile in the Madurai country, Muthu Virappa, mentioned above, was succeeded by the great "Tirumalai Nayak", the most powerful and best-known member of his dynasty, who ruled for thirty-six eventful years.

Before Thirumalai Nayaka came to power, the court of Madurai was being held at Trichy for some ten to twelve years. Thirumalai Nayaka would have continued to rule from Trichy but for a dream. Thirumalai was suffering from Catarrah which the royal physicians were unable to cure. While he was once marching towards Madurai, Thirumalai's sickness worsened and he halted near Dindigul. When he slept in his tent, God Sundareshwara and Goddess Meenakshi appeared to him in a dream, and mentioned that they wud cure him if he would make Madurai his capital.

As soon as he awoke from his dream just before dawn, Thirumalai called for the Brahmans and others in attendance, who advised him to obey the will of God. Thirumalai Nayaka then not only vowed to make Madurai his capital but also to expend 5 lakh pons (100,000 pounds) in sacred works. Immediately thereafter, he felt the disease leave him. An overjoyed Thirumalai Nayaka thereafter determined to devote his life to the worship and service of the Gods of Madura and supposedly adopted the Saiva faith.
Thirumalai Nayaka was assisted by his Dalavay Ramappayan, who was also the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Madurai Army. Ramappayan helped crush the rebellion of the Setupatis of Ramnad. The Setupathi and his Maravas withdrew to the island of Pamban and procured the assistance of Europeans. While at the verge of attaining victory of the Setupathi, Ramapayyan suddenly fell sick and died. He was succeeded by his son-in-law Siva Ramaya who proved himself well worthy of the post and captured a nephew of the Setupati, Tanakka Tevan. With the Setupathi himself imprisoned, the Maravas of Ramnad quietly submitted to the authority of Siva Ramaya. From a historical document Ramappayyan Ammanai, we know that the Dalavoy Ramappayan, a Brahmin

Brahmin

Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...

, had also proven his mettle in the war against Randaula Khan and Sriranga III between 1639 to 1641.

After a glorious rule of 36 years, Thirumalai Nayaka died in 1659 in his capital Madurai, between the ages of 60 and 70 years of age.

Muttu Alakadri (1659—1662)

Tirumala was succeeded by his son Muttu Alakadri, whose first act was to shake off the hated Muslim yoke. He tried to induce the Nayak of Tanjore to join the enterprise. However, alarmed at the power aspirations of his neighbour, the Tanjore ruler disclaimed all connection with his neighbour’s aspirations and made an attempt to conciliate with the Muslims. The Muslim invaders moved against Trichinopoly and Madurai, spreading havoc, while Muttu Alakadri remained inactive behind the walls of the fort. Fortunately for him, the enemy soon had to retire, for their devastations produced a local famine and pestilence from which they themselves suffered terribly. They made a half-hearted attempt on Trichinopoly and then permitted themselves to be bought off for a very moderate sum. Muttu Alakadri did not long survive their departure, but gave himself over to debauchery with an abandon which soon brought him to a dishonoured grave.

Chokkanatha Nayaka (1662—1682)

Muthu Alakadri Nayak was succeeded by his son Chokkanatha, a promising boy of sixteen. Please see the separate article devoted to him at Chokkanatha Nayak

Chokkanatha Nayak

Chokkanatha Nayak succeeded his father Muttu Alkadri Nayak ,as the ruler of the Madurai Nayak dynasty, when he was sixteen years old. This young ruler began his reign with an ill-considered attempt to drive out the Muslim troops, despatching a large army against the Gingee fortress...

Rangakrishna Muthu Virappa (1682—1689)

Rangakrishna Muthu Virappa, who succeeded Chokkanatha was a spirited boy of fifteen. He tried to revive the diminished fortunes of the kingdom. He made a name for himself by ignoring Aurangazeb with courage, but little enough of his territories remained to him to rule. The greater part of them was held by Mysore, some by the Maravans, some by the Marathas of Gingee, and some by the Marathas of Tanjore. At first, the country was subject to anarchy and pillage, foreign enemies occupied all the forts, and robber chiefs were masters of the rural areas and carried on their brigandage there with impunity.

Matters slowly improved, with Mysore soon distracted by a war with the Marathas of Gingee, and both the Setupathis of Ramnad and the Marathas of Tanjore occupied by wars within their own countries. Emperor Aurangzeb in 1686$2—1687$2 conquered the kingdoms of Madura’s old enemies, Golconda and Bijapur, and he was for many years engaged in an exhausting war with the Marathas. Moreover the young Nayak of Madurai, though imbued with a boyish love of fun and adventure which endeared him to his countrymen, also had a stock of sound sense and ability which evoked the admiration of his ministers, and he took advantage of his improving prospects.

Muthu Virappa recovered his capital in 1685$2, and he gradually reconquered large parts of the ancient kingdom of his forefathers and succeeded in restoring the power of the Nayaks of Madurai. Unfortunately he died of smallpox in 1689, at the early age of 22. His young widow Muttammal – the only woman, strange to say, whom he had married – was inconsolable at his loss and, though she was far advanced in pregnancy, insisted upon committing sati

Sati (practice)

For other uses, see Sati .Satī was a religious funeral practice among some Indian communities in which a recently widowed woman either voluntarily or by use of force and coercion would have immolated herself on her husband’s funeral pyre...

on his funeral pyre. His mother, Rani Mangammal, with great difficulty persuaded her to wait until her child was born, solemnly swearing that she could then have her way. When the child (a son) arrived, she was put off with various excuses until, despairing of being allowed her wish, she put an end to her own life.

Rani Mangammal (1689—1704)

Mangammal, the mother of the late Nayak, acted for the next fifteen years as Queen-Regent on behalf of her grandson. She was the most popular of all the Nayaks.

Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha (1704—1731)

Her grandson Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha, starting on a bad note, enjoyed a long but apparently dull reign of 26 years, paving way for the demise of the dynasty. He was vain and weak-minded, and unfit to govern either himself or others. His reign was distinguished by the ill-regulated and extraordinary munificence of his gifts to Brahmins and religious institutions. The injustice of his rule caused a serious riot in Madurai, the mutiny of his troops, and incessant disturbances.

His only warfare was over the succession to the throne of Ramnad, in 1725. Of the two claimants, one was supported by Tanjore Marathas and the other by Madurai and the Tondaiman of Pudukkotai. The Tanjore troops won a decisive victory and placed their protege on the throne. A year or two later the Tanjore king deposed this very protege, and divided Ramnad into Ramnad and Sivaganga, which became independent Marava powers.

Queen Meenakshi, Chanda Sahib, & the End of the Nayaks (1731—1736)

Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha died in 1731, and was succeeded by his widow Meenakshi

Meenakshi (Nayak queen)

Meenakshi was the last ruler in the Madurai Nayaks line. She was the granddaughter-in-law of Rani Mangammal.Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha died in 1731, and was succeeded by his widow Meenakshi, who acted as Queen-Regent on behalf of a young boy she had adopted as the heir of her dead husband...

, who acted as Queen-Regent on behalf of a young boy she had adopted as the heir of her dead husband. She had only ruled a year or two when an insurrection was raised against her by Vangaru Tirumala, the father of her adopted son, who pretended to have claims of his own to the throne of Madurai. At this juncture representatives of the Mughals appeared on the scene and took an important part in the struggle.

Since 1693$2, Madurai nominally had been the feudatory of the emperor of Delhi, and since 1698 the Carnatic region north of the Coleroon (Kollidam) river had been under direct Muslim rule. The local representative of the Mughal was the Nawab of Arcot, and an intermediate authority was held by the Nizam of Hyderabad, who was in theory both a subordinate of the emperor, and the superior of the Nawab.

How regularly the kings of Tanjore and Madura paid their tribute is not clear, but in 1734$2 – about the time, in fact, that Meenakshi and Vangaru Thirumala were fighting for the crown – an expedition was sent by the then-Nawab of Arcot to exact tribute and submission from the kingdoms of the south. The leaders of this expedition were the Nawab’s son, Safdar Ali Khan, and his nephew and confidential adviser, the well-known Chanda Sahib

Chanda Sahib

Chanda Sahib was the Nawab of the Carnatic between 1749 and 1752. His birth name is Husayn Dost Khan. He was the son-in-law of the Nawab of Carnatic Dost Ali Khan, under whom he worked as a Dewan. He belonged the Muslim Nait community which had ruled the Carnatic under the Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan...

.

The invaders took Tanjore by storm and, leaving the stronghold of Trichinopoly untouched, swept across Madurai and Tinnevelly and into Travancore. On their return from this expedition they took part in the quarrel between Meenakshi and Vangaru Tirumala. The latter approached Safdar Ali Khan with an offer of three million rupees if he would oust the queen in favour of himself. Unwilling to attack Trichinopoly, the Muslim prince contented himself with solemnly declaring Vangaru Thirumala to be king and taking the bond for the three millions. He then marched away, leaving Chanda Sahib to enforce his award as best he could. The queen, alarmed at the turn affairs now had taken, had little difficulty in persuading that facile politician to accept her bond for a crore of rupees (ten million) and declare her duly entitled to the throne.

Queen Meenakshi required him to swear on the Koran that he would adhere faithfully to his engagement, and he accordingly took an oath on a brick wrapped up in the spledid covering usually reserved for that holy book. He was admitted into the Trichinopoly fort and Vangaru Thirumala – apparently with the good will of the queen, who, strangely enough, does not seem to have wished him any harm – went off to Madurai, to rule over that country and Tirunelveli.

Chanda Sahib accepted the crore of rupees and departed to Arcot. Two years later, in 1736 he returned, again was admitted into the fort, and proceeded to make himself master of the kingdom. Meenakshi soon was little but a puppet: she had fallen in love with Chanda Sahib and so let him have his own way unhindered.

Chanda Sahib eventually marched against Vangaru Thirumala, who still was ruling in the south, defeated him at Ammaya Nayakkanur and Dindigul, drove him to take refuge in Sivaganga, and occupied the southern provinces of the Madurai kingdom. Having now made himself master of all of the unfortunate Meenakshi’s realms, he threw off the mask, ceased to treat her with the consideration he hitherto had extended to her, locked her up in her palace, and proclaimed himself ruler of her kingdom. The hapless lady took poison and ended her life shortly afterwards.

Muslim Domination under Chanda Sahib (1736—1740)

For a time, Chanda Sahib had his own way. His success was regarded with suspicion and even hostility by the Nawab of Arcot. But family loyalties prevented a rupture and Chanda Sahib was left undisturbed, while he strengthened the fortifications of Trichinopoly and appointed his two brothers as governors of the strongholds of Dindigul and Madurai. It was at this period that he subjugated the king of Tanjore, although he did not annex his territory, and he compelled them to cede Karaikkal (Pondicherry) to the French.

Chanda Sahib and The Maratha Interlude (1740—1743)

For additional details see Vangaru Thirumala
Unable to help themselves, the king of Tanjore and Vangaru Tirumala called for the assistance of the Marathas of Satara in Bombay. These people had their own grievance against the Muslims of Arcot, with whom Chanda Sahib still was identified, because of long-delayed payment of the chouth, or one-fourth of their revenues, which they had promised in return for the withdrawal of the Marathas from their country and the discontinuation of their incursions. They also were encouraged to attempt reprisals by the Nizam of Hyderabad, who – jealous of the increasing power of the Nawab and careless of the loyalty due to co-religionists – gladly would have seen his dangerous subordinate brought to the ground.

Early in 1740, therefore, the Marathas appeared in the south with a vast army, and defeated and killed the Nawab of Arcot in the pass of Damalcheruvu

Damalcheruvu

Damalcheruvu is a small town in Chittoor district of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The mangoes grown here are exported all over India and to some other parts of the world....

in North Arcot. Then they came to an understanding with his son, the Safdar Ali mentioned above, recognised him as Nawab, and retired for a time.

Chanda Sahib had made a faint pretence of helping the Nawab to resist the Marathas, and he now came to offer his submission to Sardar Ali. The princes parted with apparent amity, but at the end of the same year the Marathas, at the secret invitation of Safdar Ali, suddenly reappeared and made straight for Trichinopoly. Their temporary withdrawal had been designed to put Chanda Sahib off his guard; and it succeeded in that Trichinopoly was very poorly-provisioned. They surrounded the town closely, defeated and killed the two brothers of Chanda Sahib as they advanced to his help from their provinces of Madurai and Dindigul, and, after a siege of three months, compelled the surrender of Trichinopoly. They took Chanda Sahib captive at Satara and, disregarding the claims of Vangaru Tirumala, appointed a Maratha, the well-known Morari Rao of Gooty, as their governor of the conquered kingdom.

Muslim authority re-established, 1743

Morari Rao remained in power for two years and finally retired, in 1743, before the invading army of the Nizam re-established his weakened authority in the Carnatic and in 1744 appointed Anwar-uddin

Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan

Muhammad Anwaruddin was the 1st Nawab of Arcot of the second Dynasty. He was a major figure during the Second Carnatic War.He was a direct descendant of Hazarath Omar, the Second Caliph of Islam . Nawab Anwaruddin Khan was born at Gopamau, a place in Hardoi District, United Provinces, India in...

as Nawab of Arcot. The Nizam ordered that Vangaru Tirumala should be appointed king of Madurai, however the Arcot Nawab disregarded this order and Vangaru Tirumala disappeared from the scene, poisoned, some say, by Anwar-uddin.

The British

Later, in the scramble for the Carnatic throne between Chanda Sahib, who was supported by French, and the Arcot Nawabs, Chanda Sahib was defeated in the Carnatic war and was killed by their allies Tanjore Marathas.In 1751 the Madurai kingdom smoothly passed into the British fold, when the Arcot Nawab ceded the former state to the later for the repayment of his huge loans from the British East India Company

British East India Company

The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...

. Thus began the British rule in the Madurai and Tamil Country, after many wars with "Mysore Hyder Ali

Hyder Ali

Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...

", Tipu Sultan

Tipu Sultan

Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...

, and various other polygars, including Puli Thevan, Veerapandya Kattabomman and the Marudhu brothers. By the end of 18th century the British comfortably had settled into the Madurai country, after subduiong most of the rebellious Polygars of the former Madurai state.

Polygar Wars

Till 1800's the British had to face stiff oppositions from several of the Kingdoms governors called Palayakarrars. There were two Poligar Wars fought between the British and some of the Polygars at the turn of 19th century, which is also one of the earliest Indian Independence wars.

Descendants of Vangaru Thirumalai

As late as 1820$2, a descendant of Vangaru Thirumalai, bearing the same name, was in Madurai endeavouring to obtain pecuniary assistance from the government. He and his family lived in Vellaikurichi, in the Sivaganga zamindari, and their children were there until quite recently. It is said that they still kept up the old tradition of holding recitations, on the first day of Chittrai in each year, of a long account of their pedigree and of a description of the boundaries of the great kingdom of which their forebears had been rulers.

Nayaks of Kandy

Some of the family members of Vangaru Thirumalai established a Nayak dynasty in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

known as the Kandy Nayaks. They ruled till 1815 with Kandy

Kandy

Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...

as their capital and were also the last ruling dynasty of Sri Lanka. The Kings of Kandy had from an early time sought and procured their wives from Madurai. The Kandy Nayaks received military support from the Nayaks of Madurai in fighting off the Portugese. And in the 17th and 18th centuries, marital alliances between the Kandyan kings and Nayak princesses had become a matter of policy.

Capitals

The Nayak rulers started with Madurai as their capital. In 1616$2, Muttu Virappa Nayak shifted the capital to Tiruchirapalli

Tiruchirapalli

, but Thirumalai Nayak moved it back to Madurai in 1634. In 1665, Thirumalai Nayak's grandson, Chokkanatha Nayak, once again shifted the capital to Tiruchirapalli and built a palace inside the Fort. Irrespective of the location of the capital, the region was known throughout the period as 'Madurai Country', and all rulers held their coronation in Madurai, which served as their religious and cultural capital.

Nayak rule and Tiruchi

The significance of Nayak rule in checking invasion by northern rulers elevated Tiruchi in the eyes of national history. Had it not been for the Nayak rule, the central part of Tamil Nadu, particularly what today has come to be known as Tiruchi, Thanjavur, and Perambalur

Perambalur

Perambalur is a district headquarters and a taluk and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Perambalur District came in to existence after trifurcation of Tiruchirappalli district with effect from 30.09.1995.- Geography :...

districts, would not have gained its own historical identity and unique cultural development.

The Tiruchi range comprised five major paalayams: Udayarpalayam

Udayarpalayam

Udayarpalayam is a panchayat town in Ariyalur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Udayarpalayam had a population of 11,325. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Udayarpalayam has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average...

, Ariyalur

Ariyalur

Ariyalur is a Municipality in Ariyalur district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.-Geography:Ariyalur is a municipality and headquarters of Ariyalur District in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is rich in limestone resources. Big industrial houses like Birlas , India cements, Dalmia cements, Madras...

, Marungapuri, Thuraiyur

Thuraiyur

Thuraiyur is a town and a municipality in Tiruchirappalli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thuraiyur Municipality - It was upgraded to III Grade Municipality from Town Panchayat on 17.01.1970. It was upgraded to II Grade Municipality in May 1998.- Economy :Two decades ago agriculture...

and Cuddalore

Cuddalore

Cuddalore is a fast growing industrial city and headquarter of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. Located south of Pondicherry on the coast of Bay of Bengal, Cuddalore has a large number of industries which employ a great deal of the city's population.Cuddalore is known...

. They constructed new mandapa
Mandapa
A mandapa in Indian architecture is a pillared outdoor hall or pavilion for public rituals.-Temple architecture:...

ms at several temples, including the Srirangam

Srirangam

Srirangam , Old name is Vellithirumutha gramam and Tamil name is Thiruvarangam , is an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirapalli , in South India....

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, and the Rock Fort.

The Vijayanagar dynasty was chiefly responsible for the present and permanent glory of Tamil Nadu, which was ransacked by the earlier Delhi Sultanate. But for the invasions by Kumara Kampana Udayar against the Sultans of Madurai, the state's cultural civilisation would have been doomed. Wasteland development and the setting up of water harvest structures formed part of the Nayak rulers' welfare programmes. It was at Rani Mangammal Hall in Tiruchi that one of the Nayak rulers, Vijayaranga Chokkanatha Nayak, launched a stiff opposition to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb

Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...

Nayak coins

Most Nayak coins were made of gold or copper. The design, figures, size, and weight of Nayak coins all were similar to those of Vijayanagara coins. Sadasiva Nayak issued some beautiful Nayak coins: one gold coin shows Shiva

Shiva

and Parvati

Parvati

Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...

seated next to one another – Shiva holds the trisula (trident) and the mriga (antelope) in his hands. Another gold coin of the same ruler features the mythical bird Gandaberunda

Gandaberunda

The Gandaberunda is a two-headed mythological bird of Hindu mythology thought to possess magical strength. It is used as the official emblem by the Karnataka government and it is seen as an intricately sculptured motif in Hindu temples.- Story :The Ganda Berunda took physical form in the Narasimha...

. This coin is almost identical to the gandabherunda coins minted by the Vijayanagara ruler Achyutaraya.

A rare copper coin of this ruler displays, on its obverse, the standing figure of Kartikeya (Muruga), with his favourite peacock behind him. The reverse depicts the Nandi (sacred bull) below the Shivalinga.

The Madurai Nayaks issued many coins featuring fish, the emblem of the Pandyas, who ruled Madurai before the Vijayanagara and Nayak rulers.

Some early Madurai Nayak coins portray the figure of the king. The bull also is seen frequently on the Madurai Nayak coins. Chokkanatha Nayak, one of the last rulers of the dynasty, issued coins displaying various animals, such as the bear, elephant and lion. He also issued coins featuring Hanuman

Hanuman

Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...

and Garuda

Garuda

The Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.From an Indian perspective, Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila and...

. The inscriptions on the Nayak coins are in Tamil

Tamil script

The Tamil script is a script that is used to write the Tamil language as well as other minority languages such as Badaga, Irulas, and Paniya...

, Telugu

Telugu script

Telugu script, an abugida from the Brahmic family of scripts, is used to write the Telugu language, a language found in the South-Central Indian state of Andhra Pradesh as well as several other neighboring states. The Telugu script is derived from the Bhattiprolu script...

, Kannada

Kannada script

The Kannada script is an alphasyllabary of the Brahmic family, used primarily to write the Kannada language, one of the Dravidian languages of southern India and also Sanskrit in the past. The Telugu script is derived from Old Kannada, and resembles Kannada script...

, and Nagari

Devanagari

Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...

scripts. Unlike the coins of many of the earlier dynasties, the Nayak coins are easily available for coin-collectors.

Nayak temples

The Madurai and Tanjavur Nayaks made great contributions to architectural style, the main characteristics of the style during this period being the elaborate mandapas of the "hundred-pillared" and "thousand-pillared" types, the high gopurams with stucco statues on the surface and the long corridors.

The main temples representing this style are:

The Ranganatha temple at Srirangam – noted for its increase in the number of enclosures;

The temple at Rameswaram – noted for its long corridors;

The Subramanya
Subramanya
Subramanya is a commonly used Indian name. It is also another name for the Hindu deity Murugan. Other common spellings are Subrahmanya, Subramania and Subramaniam. The name may refer to:People...

temple at the Brihadisvara Temple court at Tanjavur – noted for its fine vimana with ratha and maha mandapas;

Meenakshi Temple at Madurai – noted for the great splendour of its gopuras, its "thousand-pillared" mandapam, and the Mariamman
Mariamman
Māri ,Tulu, also known as Mariamman , both meaning "Mother Mari", spelt also Maariamma , or simply Amman or Aatha is the South Indian Hindu goddess of disease and rain. She is the main South Indian mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and...

Teppakulam ("water tank" / reflecting pool).

External links

Images of Nayak kings

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