Título: Madurai Nayak dynasty
Seção: Sultan dynasty at Madurai
Background: The Madurai Nayaks were rulers from around 1529 until 1736, of a region comprising most of modern-day Tamil Nadu, India, with Madurai as their capital. The Nayak reign was an era noted for its achievement in arts, cultural and administrative reforms, revitalization of temples previously ransacked by the Delhi Sultans, and inauguration of a unique architectural style. The dynasty consisted of 13 rulers, of whom 9 were kings, 2 were queens, and 2 were joint-kings. The most notable of these were the king, Thirumalai Nayak, and the queen, Rani Mangammal.

Conteúdo: Early in the 14th century, a dispute arose over the succession to the Pandya throne. One claimant appealed for help to emperor Ala-ud-din of Delhi, who dispatched his general, Malik Kafur, in 1310. Malik Kafur marched south, ransacking kingdoms on the way and causing enormous changes to the political configuration of central and Southern India. He marched into Madurai, sacking the town, paralysing trade, suppressing public worship, and making civilian life miserable. The great Meenakshi temple with its fourteen towers was pulled down, destroying the nearby streets and buildings, and leaving only the two shrines of Sundaresvara and Meenakshi intact. The events are controversial: as another account describes them, ...the Deccan was soon to feel the force of Islam, which was already the master of Northern India. In the reign of the able sultan of Delhi, Ala-ud-din Khalji (1296--1315 AD), a series of brilliant raids, led by the eunuch general Malik Kafur, a converted Hindu, crushed the Deccan kingdoms, and for a time a sultanate was set up even in Madurai, in the extreme south. Malik Kafur returned to Delhi following these events. The Pandyas protested the invasion, which continued for a few years in spasmodic fashion. The weakness of the Pandya regime caused the neighboring Chera ruler to invade and defeat the Pandya ruler, and he crowned himself in 1313. This was followed by a Chera occupation. However, the Chera occupation was transitory. A Sultan dynasty was soon re-establish

user: what was the beginning of the sultan dynasty of Madurai?

assistant: Early in the 14th century, a dispute arose over the succession to the Pandya throne.

user: who was the first sultan of this dynasty?

assistant: Ala-ud-din Khalji

user: how did he take over Madurai?

assistant: Malik Kafur marched south, ransacking kingdoms on the way and causing enormous changes to the political configuration of central and Southern India.

user: how was this sultanate received by the people?

assistant: The Pandyas protested the invasion,

user: what else the pandyas did to get back Madurai?

assistant: The weakness of the Pandya regime caused the neighboring Chera ruler to invade and defeat the Pandya ruler, and he crowned himself in 1313.

user: did the cheras work with the sultanate?

assistant: However, the Chera occupation was transitory. A Sultan dynasty was soon re-established at Madurai,

user: what else is known of the sultan dynasty in this section?

assistant: A Sultan dynasty was soon re-established at Madurai, ruling Madurai, Trichinopoly and even South Arcot, for the next 48 years,

user: what is the significant aspect of this forty eight rule?

assistant: first as feudatories of the Delhi Sultanate and later as independent monarchies.