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The
Thirumalai Nayak Palace belongs to the 17th century and is built in
the Indo-Saracenic style with beautiful arches in 1636 by King
Thirumalai Nayak. The Palace is a big structure. This was four times
bigger than the present structure. Thirumalai Nayak's grandson
Chokkanatha Nayak destroyed the Palace and transferred the valuables
to other places.
 The palace is divide into two major parts, namely Swargavilasa and
Rangavilasa.Today only the spacious courtyard Swargavilasa and some
adjoining buildings only survives. The courtyard has massive
circular white pillars. Lord Napier, the then Governor of Madras,
partially restored the palace in 1866-72. The present palace as we
see it today is where the King lived and conducted Dance and Musical
concerts.
The palace shrine was located to the northeast of the building where
Thirumalai Nayak offered prayers to goddess Rajrajeswari every
morning. The shrine is richly carved in stone and the dome was
covered with gold.
After Independance, the palace was declared as a National Monument
and is under the protection of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological
Department. The palace is about 1.5 km from Madurai Meenakshi
Temple.
Timings:
The palace is open from 8 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 5 pm daily.
Entrance Fee. Rs.1/-
Sound and Light shows in English and Tamil are the highlights of
this place. These shows are organised daily at 6.45PM and 8.15PM.
This half an hour show explains the virtues of King Thirumalai,
particularly his passion for arts, his victories in battle and his
love for his subjects.
Tickets for the show: Adults Rs.10/- and Children Rs.5/-
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