The Nayaks of Madurai were commanders of Vijaynagar Kingdom's army in 150s CE. At the time the Mighty King Krishnadeva Rai's reign, Nagama the father of Vishwanatha Nayaka (the first king of Madurai) served as the governor of Madurai. Nagama revolted against the Vijayanagar Kingdom, his son Vishwanatha a devoted soldier of Krishnadeva subdued and arrested his own father under treason. The two fishes being the insignia of the Pandyas, the symbol on Nayaka coins indicated that they considered themselves as the successors to the Pandyas of Madurai. since te Pandyan rule was declining, Vishwanathan's devotion to Krishnadeva Rai made him the Viceroy of Madurai in 16th Century, later after the fall of Vijaynagar empire, he became the ruler of Madurai and founded the Nayaka Dynasty.