of government back to Madurai in 1634. In 1665, Chokkanatha Nayak moved the capital once again to Tiruchirappalli. Chokkanatha Nayak partially dismantled the Thirumalai Nayak Mahal in Madurai in order to construct a new palace, now known as Rani Mangammal Mahal in Tiruchirappalli. Chokkanatha was a feeble monarch and faced numerous problems. He intruded into the affairs of the Thanjavur Nayak kingdom. His intrusion ultimately resulted in the interference of the Marathas and the creation of the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom by Venkoji. Mysore troops and the Maravas frequently invaded Tiruchirappalli. Chokkanatha, himself, lost his throne to a Muslim official who ruled for two years as sultan. Chokkanatha died in 1685 and was succeeded by his wife Rani Mangammal, who is considered to be the greatest of the Nayak rulers. During her reign, the Madurai army defeated the Thanjavur Marathas and beat back an invasion of Chikka Deva Raya of Mysore in 1697. In 1695, the Nayak army invaded Travancore and exacted tribute from its king Ravi Varma. Mangammal, however, submitted to the Mughal forces under Zulfiqar Ali Khan in 1697 and had to pay tribute. She was also unable to prevent the formation of the states of Ramnad and Pudukkottai. Mangammal was succeeded by her grandson Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha during whose reign the kingdom went into irreversible decline. Vijaya Ranga died in 1731 and was succeeded by his wife Meenakshi, the last of the Nayak rulers. Invasions of Chanda Sahib The Carnatic general Chanda Sahib invaded Tiruchi for the first time in 1734 when Meenakshi was the Nayak ruler. Meenakshi offered peace and held negotiations with him. Chanda Sahib recognized Meenakshi's sovereignty in return for a fee of rupees one crore and returned to Arcot. In 1736, Chanda Sahib returned to Tiruchi and in violation of the 1734 treaty, proceeded to make himself master of the kingdom. Humiliated, Meenakshi committed suicide by consuming poison. Chanda Sahib was given the title "Nawab of Tiruchirappalli" and ruled the state from 1736 till 1741, when he was defeated and captured by the Marathas and taken prisoner. Chanda Sahib remained prisoner from 1741 to 1749, when he managed to escape from their clutches. The Maratha general Murari Rao ruled Tiruchirappalli from 1741 to 1743, when the Nizam of Hyderabad invaded Tiruchirappalli and bribed Murari Rao to hand over the city. Second Carnatic War In 1749, Anwaruddin Mohammed Khan, the Nawab of Carnatic died, and