Sir Nyapathi Madhava Rau (8 June 1887 – 28 August 1972) was an Indian civil servant, administrator, and statesman who served as the 23rd dewan of Mysore from 1941 to 1945[1] and later as a member of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly which drafted the Indian Constitution.

Madhava Rao took the Mysore Civil Service examinations and graduated first rank, winning the Carmichael Medal.

He joined the Mysore Civil Service as an Assistant Commissioner in the Gubbi town of Tumkur district.

Madhava Rao succeeded Sir Mirza Ismail on his retirement as the diwan, a post he held between 1941 and 1946.

He also successfully dealt with the damage caused to the Sivasamudram Electric Power Station by a lightning strike in 1944.