The South Asian ruling dynasty with whom George III and George IV had the closest relationship was the Wallajah rulers of the Carnatic. The Carnatic was a Mughal province at the southernmost end of the subcontinent (encompassing modern-day Tamil Nadu). Its provincial capital at Arcot lay just 65 miles west of Fort St George in Madras.

Although a Muslim dynasty, the Nawabs of the Carnatic were patrons of both the Srirangam temple complex and the nearby Muslim shrine of the Sufi saint Nathar Wali. The two often co-ordinated the timings of their festivals and shared elephants and other regalia.