Chanda Sahib’s seizure of Tiruchirappalli and Madurai

01A queen’s quarrel

Vijayaranga Chokkanatha Nayak of Madurai died in 1731 without a son, and his widow Meenakshi ruled from Tiruchirappalli, the Nayaks’ capital since the 1660s, with an adopted son. A relative, Bangaru Tirumala, the boy’s natural father, rose against her. In 1734 an army from Arcot under Safdar Ali and Chanda Sahib came south to collect tribute, and both parties sought its help. Meenakshi bought Chanda Sahib’s support with a large sum.

02The oath on a brick

In 1736 Chanda Sahib returned and asked to be admitted to the Trichy fort. The Madurai accounts say that he swore loyalty to the queen on a Quran, which was in fact a brick wrapped in cloth. Once inside with his troops, he took control of the fort, confined Meenakshi, and went on to take Madurai and Dindigul, defeating Bangaru Tirumala. The queen, a prisoner in her own palace, took poison. Chanda Sahib held Trichy until the Marathas took it from him in 1741.

Dynasty · 1529–1736 CENayakas of MaduraiThe Nayakas of Madurai began as Vijayanagara governors in 1529 and ruled the far south for two centuries. Much of the Meenakshi temple as pilgrims see it today, its towering gopurams and pillared halls, was built in their time.Read →