Tirumalai Nayaka Palace and Museum

Madurai, Tamil Nadu

Madurai was the Pandya capital in Tamil Nadu between the 7th and 13th centuries. After a brief but destructive invasion by the Delhi Sultanate, Madurai became a provincial capital under the rule of Vijayanagara (14th - 16th century). By the second half of the 16th century, the Nayakas of Madurai, who were originally the provincial governors under Vijayanagara, broke away and ruled independently until the arrival of the British in the 18th century.

The Nayaka Palace in Madurai was built by Tirumalai Nayaka (1623 - 1660) and restored in the 19th century.