Home Region:  Southern India (South Asia)

Nayaks of Madurai

1529 CE 1736 CE
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

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.
Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

General Variables
Identity and Location Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
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 1529 CE 1615 CE
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Capital 1616 CE 1634 CE
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Capital 1635 CE 1664 CE
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Capital 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)
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Duration
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Political and Cultural Relations Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Succeeding Entity 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Preceding Entity
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Language Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Linguistic Family Dravidian 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Language 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Religion Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Religious Tradition 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Religion Family 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Hierarchical Complexity Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Settlement Hierarchy 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Military Level 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Administrative Level 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Professions Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Law Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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1529 CE  1736 CE
Specialized Buildings: polity owned Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Market 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Irrigation System 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Communal Building 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Utilitarian Public Building 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Port 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Information / Writing System Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Written Record 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Script 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Sacred Text 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Religious Literature 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Calendar 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Information / Money Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Precious Metal 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Indigenous Coin 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Foreign Coin 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Information / Postal System Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Information / Measurement System Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Weight Measurement System 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Time Measurement System 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Military use of Metals Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Projectiles Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Handheld weapons Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Animals used in warfare Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Armor Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Naval technology Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Religion Variables
Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Nayaks of Madurai (in_madurai_nayaks)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers 1529 CE  1736 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain 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
Instability Data
Power Transitions