The Mysore-Madurai Wars were a series of conflicts fought between the Kingdom of Mysore and the Madurai Nayakas, primarily in the 17th and early 18th centuries, as both sought to expand their territories in Southern India.

One notable instance involves the Raja taking advantage of Muttu Virappa's engagement with Tanjore to send an army under the commander ‘Mukilan’ to attack the Dindigul province.

[4] The Mysore general, Harasnra Nandi Raja, advanced as far as Dindigul but was repelled by the Madurai forces, including Ramaiyan and Ranganna Nayaka, the polygar of Kannivadi.

Ramappaiya's subsequent victory was highly celebrated by Tirumala Nayaka, who likely honored him with the grant of land recorded in the Sri Mukha inscription of 1633, marking his successful campaign against Mysore.

[4] During Kanthirava Narasaraja I Wodeyar's conflicts with Ranadullah Khan, Tirumala Nayaka of Madura took advantage of the situation to destabilize the southern region, often collaborating with local Polygars who were hostile to Mysore.

The Mysore forces then advanced through Tolya, capturing several territories loyal to Ghatta Mudaliyar, including Nallur, Changapadi, Tiruchengod, and Trichinopoly, before returning to Srirangapattana with significant spoils of war.

[6] Despite Tirumala Nayaka being gravely ill and weakened by his condition, he took swift action to defend his kingdom by calling upon his loyal vassal, Raghunatha Setupati, for aid.

In response, Setupati mobilized an army of 25,000 Maravas and, with 35,000 additional troops raised under Tirumala's command, he successfully repelled the Mysore forces, driving them back to the borders of Dindigul.

Further sources mention a counter-invasion of Mysore by the Madura army, possibly led by Kumura Muttu, Tirumala's younger brother, and Rangana Nayaka, in which the Mysoreans were pursued to their capital and significant damage was inflicted.

Despite some uncertainty regarding the precise role of Tirumala's younger brother, Kumura Muttu, the evidence from inscriptions, including the 1659 Tiruchchengodu grant, supports the idea that he may have participated in the military campaign against Mysore.

The Mysoreans inflicted heavy losses on the invaders, capturing not only soldiers and ammunition but also war horses, elephants, and crucial forts like Paramatripura, Malai, Muttanjatti, Sadamangalam, Anantagiri, Torenad, Ariyalur, Dharmapuram, Salem.

Mysore, under Chikkadevaraja, sought to extend its influence by assisting the weakening Chokkanatha Nayak of Madurai, defeating the usurper Rustum Khan, and demanding Tiruchirapalli as the price for his support.

This victory brought immense pride and satisfaction to Arasumalai (Haraji), who, buoyed by his triumph, began driving the Mysoreans out of the Forts they had seized from the Nayaka of Madurai.

[12][13][14] In a Jesuit letter from 1686, Muthu Virappa Nayaka is praised for reclaiming the town of Madurai by expelling the Mysoreans and securing the loyalty of his vassals, to the extent that he was able to rule with increasing authoritarianism.

This assertion aligns with the evidence provided by an inscription from 1688 at Arumbavur, which records the repair of a sluice by Ranga Krishna, suggesting that by 1686, the Nayaka administration was stable enough for the rulers to focus on internal affairs such as infrastructure projects.