Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal in Madurai is a palace whose scale is best appreciated in person. Its grand columns and open spaces made a lasting impression on me. This collection of photographs records the architecture that caught my attention during my visit.

Entrance detail with a gold-coloured figure at Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal

A Seventeenth-Century Royal Palace

The palace was built under Thirumalai Nayak in the 17th century. Incredible India dates its construction to 1636. I was drawn to the way the building brings together different architectural influences.

The original complex was much larger than the surviving portion. My visit notes described it as four times the present size, with two principal sections called Swargavilasam and Rangavilasam. Other spaces included a theatre, a palace shrine, a royal bandstand and an armoury.

The Scale of the Palace

The giant pillars dominate the experience. Standing among them, I was struck by the extraordinary sense of height and space.

A Familiar Setting

The palace is a protected heritage monument. It may also look familiar to film viewers: my original notes mentioned Bombay, Iruvar, Guru and Aadukalam among the films associated with it.

Photographs of Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal

Tall white pillars and ornate arches inside Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal
Palace courtyard framed by columns, arches and a domed roof
Massive cylindrical pillars lining a shaded palace corridor
Rows of white columns around the open palace courtyard
Close-up of a scalloped arch and decorative plasterwork above it
A long palace corridor viewed between broad white pillars
Visitors silhouetted beneath shaded columns facing the bright courtyard
A sequence of ornate arches and decorated ceilings viewed from below
Symmetrical view along a corridor of scalloped arches and columns
Sunlight falling across the floor of a pillared palace hall
Black-and-white view of a corridor lined with large columns
White columns supporting decorated arches around a corner of the palace courtyard
A large ornate hall with tall windows and a vaulted ceiling
Black-and-white view across the palace courtyard between two foreground pillars
Long column-lined walkway with stone exhibits along one side
A tall portrait view down an arched palace passage
A red and gold throne displayed beneath scalloped arches
High domed interior with a red throne beneath the central arch
View through a doorway into the richly decorated palace hall
Black-and-white photograph of the hall’s tall windows and ornate interior
Black-and-white photograph of a stone sculpture displayed beside a palace pillar
Decorative arches, balconies and plaster reliefs on an interior palace wall
Two painted panels displayed behind glass in the palace museum
Small sculptural fragments arranged on museum display plinths
Close-up of a carved stone figure in a palace gallery
Black-and-white view along a row of carved stone figures
Vessels and bowls displayed on stepped museum plinths
Historical photograph showing the palace buildings from outside
Historical photograph of the palace entrance and outer wall
Black-and-white view of the palace hall’s ornate balconies and tall windows
Wide view of the decorated hall at Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal