Madurai Nayak Dynasty - Nayak Temples

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 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 Thanga Thamarai kulam ("Golden Lotus water pool").