Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal

The Nayaks of Madurai ruled from 1545 until the 1740s, and Thirumalai Nayak (1623–1659) was one of their greatest kings, notable for various buildings in and around Madurai. During the 17th century, traders, missionaries, and travelers from Portugal, the Netherlands, and other European countries visited the Madurai Kingdom. Over 400 years, many parts of the palace suffered the destructive effects of war. During the time of the East India Company, a few buildings were in sufficient repair to be converted into granaries, store-houses, and powder magazines by the garrison during the time of East India Company. According to British records, King Thirumalai Nayak's grandson had demolished much of the fine structure and removed most of the ornaments and woodcarvings to build his palace, the Chokkanatha Nayak Palace, in Tiruchirapalli; however, some researchers consider that event unlikely and say that the palace was more probably scavenged for building materials by local communities. The British subsequently used the palace as a military barracks and then a factory (weaving and paper production), which also impacted the grandeur of the palace, with the demolition of the adjacent complexes in advanced ruin. The palace would later serve as the Cutchery or district court of Madura-Ramnad until 1970. ==Design and construction==

Thirumalai Nayak built the palace in 1636 as a focal point of his capital at Madurai. He intended it to be one of the grandest in South India. The interior of the palace surpasses many of its Indian contemporaries in scale. The interior is richly decorated, while the exterior is in a more austere style. Local legend goes that the king hired an Italian architect to design the complex, and hence some qualify it as Dravidian–Italian architecture. During this period, Madurai was a thriving kingdom, with traders, missionaries, and visiting travelers from Portugal, the Netherlands, and other European countries. This might have influenced the design of the palace. Many Tamil Nadu government agencies also qualify the architecture of Thirumalai Nayaka Palace as Indo-Saracenic architecture or Dravidian architecture. Art historians consider this palace to be an outstanding example of Vijayanagara architecture in its late Tamil Country Nayaka style. Some historians view the theories regarding the possible intervention of European architects and craftsmen, or of a major Western artistic influence, as motivated by a priori and colonial prejudices. The palace's architecture reflects the characteristic features of Vijayanagara architecture, including the integration and harmonization of Indo-Islamic and Persian influences. Thirumalai Nayak Palace is famous for its giant pillars. Each pillar's height is and its width is . Historically, the palace measured and was long by wide. Courtyard Upon entering the gates of the palace, there is a central courtyard measuring . The courtyard is surrounded by massive circular pillars and has a circular garden. Interior The palace was divided into two major parts: Swarga Vilasam (Celestial Pavilion) and Ranga Vilasam. The royal residence, theatre, shrine, apartments, armory, palanquin place, royal bandstand, quarters, pond and garden were situated in these two portions. The courtyard and the dancing hall are the major centers of attraction of the palace. The Swarga Vilasam (Celestial Pavilion) was used as the throne room and has an arcaded octagon covered by a dome high. The domed structure in the center is supported by stone ribs and is held up by massive circular columns topped and linked by pointed, scalloped arches with an arcaded gallery opening into the nave above the side aisles. Materials used The structure was constructed using foliated brickwork and the surface details and finished exquisite stucco called chunam using chunam (shell lime) and mixed with egg white to obtain a smooth and glossy texture. The steps leading up to the hall were formerly flanked by two equestrian statues of excellent workmanship. The pillars supporting the arches are tall and are again joined by foliated brickwork that carries a valance and an entablature rising up to a height of . The decoration is done (shell lime). The pavilions, topped with finials that were covered with gold, are on either side of the courtyard. == Popular culture ==

After independence, the Thirumalai Palace was declared a national monument and is under the protection of the archaeological department of Tamil Nadu. It is open to visitors daily. Many films were shot in the palace, including Bombay, Guru, and Bheema. == References ==