Tirumala Nayaka

Tirumala Nayaka (reigned 1623–16 February 1659) was the ruler of Madurai Nayak Dynasty in the 17th century. He ruled Madurai between 1623 and 1659. His contributions are found in the many splendid buildings and temples of Madurai. He belongs to Balija caste.^[3] His kingdom was under constant threat from the armies of Bijapur Sultanate and the other neighbouring Muslim kingdoms, which he managed to repulse successfully. His territories comprised much of the old Pandya territories which included Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Madurai districts, Aragalur in southern Tamil Nadu and some territories of the Travancore kingdom.

Tirumala Nayaka
A statue of Tirumala Nayaka in Madurai
Nayak of Madurai
Reign	1623–16 February 1659
Predecessor	Muttu Virappa Nayak
Successor	Muttu Veerappa Nayak
Born	Madurai, Nayak Kingdom (modern day Tamil Nadu, India)
Died	16 February 1659[1] Madurai, Nayak Kingdom (modern day Tamil Nadu, India)
House	Madurai Nayaks
Father	Muttu Krishnappa Nayak
Religion	Hinduism[2]

Tirumala Nayaka was a great patron of art and architecture and the Dravidian architecture evolved into the Madurai style. He rebuilt and renovated a number of old temples of the Pandya period. His palace, known as the Tirumala Nayaka Palace, is a notable architectural masterpiece.

Kings and Queen Regents of Madurai Nayak Dynasty
Part of History of Tamil Nadu
Madurai Nayak rulers
Viswanatha Nayak	1529–1563
Kumara Krishnappa Nayak	1563–1573
Joint Rulers Group I	1573–1595
Joint Rulers Group II	1595–1602
Muttu Krishnappa Nayak	1602–1609
Muttu Virappa Nayak	1609–1623
Tirumala Nayak	1623–1659
Muthu Alakadri Nayak	1659–1662
Chokkanatha Nayak	1662–1682
Rangakrishna Muthu Virappa Nayak	1682–1689
Rani Mangammal‡	1689–1704
Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha Nayak	1704–1731
Queen Meenakshi‡	1731–1736
‡ Regent Queens
Capitals
Madurai	1529–1616
Tiruchirapalli	1616–1634
Madurai	1634–1665
Tiruchirapalli	1665–1736
Major forts
Madurai 72 Bastion Fort
Tiruchirapalli Rock Fort
Dindigul Fort
Thirunelvelli Fort
other Military forts
Namakkal Fort
Sankagiri Fort
Attur Fort
Palaces
Thirumalai Nayak Mahal, Madurai
Chokkanatha Nayak Palace a.k.a. Durbar Hall, Tiruchirapalli
Rani Mangammal Tamukkam palace Madurai
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Wars with Mysore

In the early years of Tirumala Nayaka's reign, an invasion of Mysore and counter-invasion of Madura. Recorded in a Mackenzie Manuscript, these conflicts predated Tirumala's later war with the Setupati of Ramnad. While precise dates are elusive, historians like Mr. Rangachari speculate that the Mysore aggression around 1625 may have been instigated by the ambitious Chamaraja Udaiyar, perhaps seeking to assert dominance or rectify past failures. Despite the Mysore general Harasura advance towards Dindigul, but beaten back by Madurai General Ramaiyan of local leaders like Ramaiyyan Ranganna Nayaka the polygar of kannividi the victorious army persuaded the Mysore army and even besieging the Mysore capital. The successful defense earned Ramaiyan great honor from Tirumala Nayaka.^[4]

Tirumala Nayaka's Madurai

Throne of Thirumalai Nayaka

Tirumala Nayaka's capital was Madurai. The royal residence had been moved from there to Thiruchirapalli by his predecessor, but Tirumala Nayaka moved it back to Madurai again. The reason for this move is claimed to be due to a dream Tirumala Nayaka had but also stated by historians that Madurai has a long history and continuously civilized through ages and Thiruchirapalli is at a threat of immediate attack by Mysore.^[5]

Palace Auditorium/Dance Hall

Personal life

Ardent devotee

Tirumala Nayaka ate his breakfast only after the pujas were performed at Srivilliputhur Aandal Temple. To get the information that the pujas were completed, the king built mandaps about every five kilometres on the route from Madurai to Srivilliputhur and installed loud bells in them. Each mandap also had a small kitchen. When there was a message to be sent a series of bells rang.^[6]

Legacy

In 1974 the Mannar Thirumalai Naicker College was founded in Madurai by Tamilnadu Naidu Mahajana Sangam.^[7]