Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace, Madurai - Thirumalai Nayak Mahal

An artistic blend of Dravidian and Islamic styles, the Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace is a place worth admiring and exploring in Madurai. In a vision of creating a masterpiece for royal stay, this palace was built in 1635 by the king Thirumalai Nayakkar under an Italian architect. The sound and light shows are conducted every evening at the palace, making the visit even more exciting. Now under the care of Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department, this palace was declared as a national monument soon after independence. It is believed that during the 17th century, the king used the services of an architect from Italy for the palace. The building was much taken care of by Lord Napier, the then Governor of Madras between 1866 and 1872.

The Dance Hall, the Entrance Gate and the Main Hall that are seen today are some of the efforts of his restoration. The palace has majestic pillars of around 19 feet width and height of 82 feet. Huge courtyard bounded by circular pillars and a garden welcomes the visitors. Most of the parts of this magnificent palace were distorted and taken away during various reigns with changing times. Paintings here are a combination of shell lime with egg white to enhance brightness. The central courtyard of the palace is about 42000 sq ft and has a circular shaped garden which is one of the major attractions here. Swarga Vilasam and Ranga Vilasam are two major sections by which the palace is divided. These two sections consist of royal residence, quarters of workers, auditorium, religious places, ponds and gardens, queen’s harem, etc.