Home Region: Southern India (South Asia)

Nayaks of Madurai

1529 CE 1736 CE

D G SC R

New SEA in_madurai_nayaks

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General Description

The Nayaks of Madurai were rulers of South Tamil Nadu. The Nayaks were originally agents of the Vijayangara Empire but came independent rulers under Visvanatha Nayaka around 1529 CE. The Nayaks of Madurai had their initial capital at Madurai but moved the capital to Tiruchirappalli from 1616 CE – 1634 CE and again from 1665 CE – 1736 CE. ^[1] ^[2] The Nayaks were responsible for temple constructions, particularly under Tirumala Nayaka who was patronized the expansion of the Minaksi-Sundaresvara temple in the capital. The Nayaks of Madurai were Shaivist Hindus and celebrated many religious festivals within their temple complexes. ^[3] The Nayaks of Madurai were also lucrative in trade connecting with the Dutch East Indian Company and the Portuguese. ^[4]
By the end of the 17th century CE, the Nayaks of Madurai were in decline and by 1736, the Nayaks were succeeded by the Carnatic Sultanate after the suicide of the last Nayak Queen, Minaski. ^[5]

[1]: (Sathyanatha Aiyar 1991, 2-24) Sathyanatha Aiyar, R. 1991. History of the Nayaks of Madura. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databak/collections/7F5SEVNA/items/E2S7TSI5/collection

[2]: (Pottamkulam, 2021) Pottamkulam, George Abraham. 2021. Tamilnadu A Journey in Time Part II: People, Places and Potpourri. Chennai: Notion Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/7F5SEVNA/items/25RBPDP2/collection

[3]: (Branfoot 2001, 191-227) Branfoot, Crispin. 2001. ‘Tirumala Nayaka’s ‘New Hall’ and the European Study of the South Indian Temple. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. Vol 11:2. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/7F5SEVNA/items/FE5VZ76M/collection

[4]: (Vink 2015, 179-183) Vink, Markus. 2015. Encounters on the Opposite Coast: The Dutch East India Company and the Nayaka State of Madurai in the Seventeenth Century. Leiden: Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/7F5SEVNA/items/9U7MCK4E/collection

[5]: (Sathyanatha Aiyar 1991, 1) Sathyanatha Aiyar, R. 1991. History of the Nayaks of Madura. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databak/collections/7F5SEVNA/items/E2S7TSI5/collection

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

4 Capital

4 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Relationship to preceding Entity

1 Polity Succession

Language

1 Linguistic Family

1 Language

Religion

1 Religious Tradition

1 Religion Family

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

1 Military Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

Bureaucracy Characteristics

Law

1 Formal Legal Code

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Irrigation System

1 Drinking Water Supply System

1 Communal Building

1 Utilitarian Public Building

Transport Infrastructure

1 Port

Special-purpose Sites

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 Calendar

Information / Money

1 Precious Metal

1 Indigenous Coin

1 Foreign Coin

Information / Postal System

Information / Measurement System

1 Weight Measurement System

1 Time Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

Military use of Metals

Projectiles

Handheld weapons

Animals used in warfare

Armor

Naval technology

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases Coding in Progress.

Power Transitions

14 Power Transition

Instability Events

17 Instability Event

General Variables

Identity and Location Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	44 P	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Original Name	Nayaks of Madurai	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Capital	Madurai	1529 CE 1615 CE
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Capital	Tiruchirappalli	1616 CE 1634 CE
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Capital	Madurai	1635 CE 1664 CE
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Capital	Tiruchirappalli	1665 CE 1736 CE
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Alternative Name	Nayaks of Madura	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Alternative Name	Nayks of Madure	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Alternative Name	Nayak Dynasty of Madurai	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Alternative Name	Madurai Nayaks	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Temporal Bounds Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Duration	[1529 CE ➜ 1736 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Succeeding Entity	Carnatic Sultanate	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	continuity	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Preceding Entity	continuity; Vijayanagara [continuity] Update here
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Language Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Dravidian	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Language	Tamil	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Religion Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religious Tradition	Hinduism	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Religion Family	Shaivism	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Hierarchical Complexity Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	[3 to 5]	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Military Level	[3 to 4]	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Administrative Level	[3 to 4]	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Professions Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Bureaucracy Characteristics Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Law Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Formal Legal Code	Present Inferred	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Irrigation System	Present Inferred	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Present Inferred	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Communal Building	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Utilitarian Public Building	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Port	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Information / Writing System Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Script	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Sacred Text	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Calendar	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Information / Money Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Precious Metal	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Foreign Coin	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Information / Postal System Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Information / Measurement System Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Weight Measurement System	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Time Measurement System	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Military use of Metals Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Projectiles Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Handheld weapons Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Animals used in warfare Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Armor Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Naval technology Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Absent Inferred	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Absent Inferred	1529 CE 1736 CE
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Human Sacrifice Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More