Tirumalai Nayakkar Mahal Palace

As you might know, Madurai is called the "Temple City". Meenakshi Sundaresa Temple, one of the largest temples in the country, is located here. Beyond that, there are hundreds of smaller temples at every nook and corner. However, Madurai's second most tourist attraction is not a temple but a palace. Tirumalai Nayakkar Mahal Palace is the most visited place after Meenakshi Temple.

In Tamil Nadu, thousands of ancient temples were built by different dynasties during different periods. But, we hardly get a chance to find palaces or other non-religious structures built in ancient times. In the entire state, there are at most ten palaces. All of them were built in the last 3-4 centuries. We do not find anything much older. Tirumalai Nayakkar Mahal can be considered the best among all those palaces.

Before I delve into the Palace's details, let me briefly introduce Nayakkars and Tirumalai Nayakkar.

Who are Nayakas?

Madurai was the capital city of the Pandya Empire. The Pandyas ruled Madurai right from ancient times. With whatever records we have today, it is impossible to date the origin of the Pandyas.

Madurai came under the control of the Cholas in the late 10th century CE. It took more than 200 years for the Pandyas to bring back Madurai under their direct control. However, they could not hold the city for long.

The family rivalry and the multiple invasions of Delhi Sultans shattered the Pandyas in the 13th century CE. Ultimately, Madurai was annexed with the Delhi Sultanate by Muhammad Bin Tughlaq in 1323 CE.

Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan, the Governor of Madurai under the Tughlaqs, declared independence in 1335 CE. (As per a few historians, it was 1333 CE). The short-lived Madurai Sultanate ruled the city between 1335 and 1378 CE. There were a total of eight kings who ruled for 40 years. The last Sultan was Alauddin Sikandar.

Kampana, the army commander of the Vijayanagara Empire, invaded Madurai and captured it in 1371 CE. His father, Bukka Raya I, was the emperor during that time. Kampana declared himself as the Governor of Madurai - Madurai Maha Mandaleswara. However, as we understand, the Madurai Sultans ruled Madurai even after that. Sultan's rule ended in 1378 CE, and the city ultimately came under the Vijayanagaras.

The Vijayanagaras did not rule Madurai directly. They appointed Maha Mandaleswaras (Governors) to rule the city. These Mandaleswaras were called Nayakkars by the people. Later, Nayakkar became a specific group's surname and ultimately emerged into a caste. (Not everyone agrees with this view, I admit.)

Tirumalai Nayak Statue

In 1528 CE, the Governor of Madurai, Nagama Nayaka, declared himself an independent king. The Vijayanagara Emperor, Krishnadeva Raya, imprisoned him. Krishnadeva appointed Nagama Nayaka's son, Vishwanatha Nayaka, as the Governor of Madurai, as he had helped the emperor to imprison his own father. Later, after the demise of Krishnadeva, Vishwanatha Nayaka declared himself an independent ruler. Thus, the Madurai Nayaka dynasty started with Vishwanatha Nayaka.

Tirumalai Nayaka was a descendant of Vishwanatha Nayaka. He ruled Madurai between 1623 CE and 1659 CE. He was the most popular Nayaka King. His contribution to architecture was abundant. He built many palaces and renovated/rebuilt a lot of temples. Tirumalai Nayakkar Mahal is one of his best works, and it was built in 1636 CE.

The Original Palace

The Palace's visitors would be wowed by its grandeur and workmanship. But what we see today is just one-fourth of the original beauty. It is difficult to digest that three-fourths of the palace was lost. How did the original palace in its complete form look like? What was its layout? We could visualize this to some extent with the help of the book "Oriental Historical Manuscripts" authored by William Taylor.

The palace's main entrance would welcome any visitor with 18 kinds of musical instruments. There was a huge open area to keep the palanquins. Ten huge and massive pillars were found on the west side of the entrance.

The Ranga Vilasam Court was situated on the west side of the ten pillars. There was a beautiful terrace called Chandrika that had many domes. There were separate quarters for soldiers and palace women near Ranga Vilasam.

There was an east-facing shrine for Rajarajeswari with a courtyard. A water fountain and a garden with a domed structure were found in front of the temple.

There were arcades and open courts with ornamental works to the east of Ranga Vilasam.

A big hall for watching the dance, Nataka Sala, was there. Swarga Vilasam was a residential portion like Ranga Vilasam. Near Nataka Sala and Swarga Vilasam, many big and smaller domes with stone pillars and platforms existed.

Gilt Stupas were found atop the terrace. To the west of Swarga Vilasam, the buildings for Queens and other ladies of harem were located.

An armory and an ornamental tank near the arsenal called Vasanta Vapi were there.

All these structures were enclosed within a 12-meter-high wall. Outside the walls, a pleasure garden was found.

Tirumalai Nayaka's grand son Chokkanatha Nayaka decided to shift his capital back to Trichy. He apparently wanted to build a massive palace in his new capital and removed carvings, valuables, and many building materials from this palace. In that process, almost three fourth of the palace was lost, and even the original design of the surviving structures was distorted. The remains of the original palace, such as the remnants of massive pillars and domes, can be found on the streets and even in some independent houses around the current palace, nowadays.

The palace was revived and repaired between 1866 and 1872 CE, thanks to the efforts of Lord Napier, the then Governor of Madras. Had he not restored the palace's glory, we would have lost even what remains today.

Tirumalai Nayakkar Mahal

Now, it's time to explore the palace in its current state. The statue of Tirumalai Nayakkar welcomes us in the parking area. It is not an old statue. It was unveiled in 1981 CE.

The clock tower looks elegant. But the entrance with a relief image of Tirumalai Nayaka is not very attractive. It does not have the grandeur look for sure. Well, let us not judge the book by its cover and get inside.

(This entrance is not the original one. It was built as part of the restoration works done by Lord Napier, the Governor of Madras. The original entrance was located north of the current surviving structure.)

Nataka Sala

The moment we enter the palace, we could experience a sudden transformation. It's vast - unimaginably grandeur - unbelievably beautiful - a breathtaking view! No picture or video can do justice. The central courtyard with massive rounded pillars - beautiful arches - impressive designs of ceilings - attractive paintings on the ceilings - the majestic royal throne at the center - intricate carvings - lovely miniature images, and so on. It's such a colorful and mesmerizing sight.

This courtyard is called Swarga Vilasam. It is indeed a swarga (heaven). The arches and domes of the palace were inspired by the Indo-Saracenic style, which was evolving in those days. There are 248 massive pillars, reflecting the Gothic architecture style. The pillars and the arches that are aligned neatly provide a picturesque sight.

Throne

Who designed this beautiful palace which was a mix of different architectural types? Though historically not proven, it is said that Tirumalai had assigned an Italian architect to design and construct this massive palace which spanned around 20 acres. It is believed that he built this to commemorate the shift of his capital from Trichy to Madurai. He took around seven years to complete this palace.

Yalis, seated lions, lions with wings, and humans are the standard images on the ceilings and near the arches. Different designs of drawings are found on the ceilings. At the entrance of the platform where the throne is kept, two stone images of horses are found. The golden-colored royal throne looks majestic in the center of the hall. I am sure it is no match to what was there originally. The throne, with many precious stones embedded in it was kept atop a small platform made of ivory. Those pieces are missing now.

The harem and Pooja room are found in the corner but are locked. The next hall is Nataka Sala, where many stone sculptures are kept for display. Maintenance is not that great. There are so many rare and beautiful sculptures that range from the 10th to 13th centuries CE. Proper display boards mentioning the iconography style and period are missing for most sculptures. No caretaker is found to keep an eye on all these invaluable sculptures.

An interesting inscription about the wells dug by Ellis in Royapettah of Madras in 1818 CE is also kept in this hall.

Happy travelling.