madurai Nayaks
Viswanatha Nayak was the founder of Nayakship in Madurai. The Nayaks of Madurai, especially in the 17th century, have a rich heritage of architectural achievement. During this period Thirumalai Nayak was a great patron of traditional arts in architecture and sculpture. The pillared mandapas, kalyana mandapas and Teppakulam were the new additions to the temple art.
Thirumalai Nayak’s palace in Madurai, a noble piece of secular architecture. It is a good specimen of Indo-Islamic architecture. The gigantic size of pillars of Thirumalai Nayak palace still remains a wonder. It is called as Tajmahal of South. Rani Mangammal built the one choultry called Mangammal Chatram. The eleven stroeyed tallest gopura of Tamil Nadu built by the Nayaks in front of the Andal Temple at Srivilliputtur.
The Meenakshi Temple at Madurai built by the Nayak Rulers is the most beautiful example of 17th century style of temple architecture. Containing two separate sanctuaries – one dedicated to Sundareswara and the other to his consort, Meenakshi, the temple is a massive structure and is enclosed by four walls with four large gopurams. The gopuram of nine storeys is ornamented with elaborate sculptures. On the top is a vaulted roof. A water tank in front and large pillared halls are its other features. The culmination of the Dravidian style is to be seen in the period of the Nayak Rulers of Madurai who continued the building style and technique of the Pandyas and improved on it. The notable features of the Nayak architecture are the hundred pillared mandapas, the lofty gopurams embellished with figures in their minute detail, the closed prakarams with huge pillars on either side, the beautiful corbel brackets as in Ramanatha temple in Rameshwaram and full-sized figures of animals and riders on rearing horses in the Srirangam temple.
Thirumalainayakar Palace
Madurai Teppakkulam