Madurai Nayak Dynasty - The Nayak Dynasty

The Nayak Dynasty

Prior to the formation of the Nayak dynasty, Madurai and its surrounding areas were ruled by Bana chieftains. When Kulottunga Chola III conquered Madurai in the 13th century AD, he installed a Bana as the ruler. The Banas were feudatories of both the Cholas and the Pandyas. Therefore, when Sundara Pandya was helped by a Bana chieftain in his campaign against Kulothunga Chola III in about 1216 to 1217 AD, he too gave a part of the Chola country to a Bana as a reward. Subsequently, the Banas ruling as the Nayaka under-lords of the Vijayanagar empire left inscriptions that provide us their names. An inscription of 1477 AD refers to a Thirumalirunjolai Mahabalivana as the ruler of Madurai; and an epigraph dated 1483 AD in Pudukkotai refers to one Bana chieftain named Virapratapa Sundarattoludaiyan Mahabali Vanadhiraya ruling in Conjivaram (Kanchipuram) in 1469 AD The Nayakas appointed to rule Madurai under the Vijayanagar empire were

• Narasa Nayak
• Tenna Nayak
• Narasa Pillai
• Kuru Kuru Timmappa Nayak
• Kattiyama Kamayya Nayak
• Chinnappa Nayakka
• Ayyakarai Veyyappa Nayak
• Visvanatha Nayak Ayyar