The Madurai Nayaks were provincial governors under the:

Pandyas
Cholas
Vijayanagara Empire
Pallavas

The correct answer is: c) Vijayanagara Empire.

The Madurai Nayaks were a Telugu dynasty of Hindu rulers who were feudatories of the Vijayanagara Empire. They ruled over the Madurai region of Tamil Nadu from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

The Pandyas were a Tamil dynasty who ruled over the southern part of India from the 3rd century BC to the 13th century AD. They were one of the three major dynasties of South India, along with the Cholas and the Pallavas.

The Cholas were a Tamil dynasty who ruled over the southern part of India from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. They were one of the three major dynasties of South India, along with the Pandyas and the Pallavas.

The Pallavas were a Tamil dynasty who ruled over the southern part of India from the 6th to the 9th centuries AD. They were one of the three major dynasties of South India, along with the Cholas and the Pandyas.

The Vijayanagara Empire was a Hindu empire that ruled over the Deccan Plateau of India from the 14th to the 16th centuries. It was one of the largest and most powerful empires in the history of India.