The Thanjavur Nayak kingdom or Thanjavur Nayak dynasty were the Telugu rulers of Thanjavur principality of Tamil Nadu in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Nayaks of the Balija social group, were originally appointed as provincial governors by the Vijayanagara Emperor in the 15th century, who divided the Tamil country into three Nayakships viz., Madurai, Tanjore and Gingee. In the mid 16th century they became an independent kingdom, although they continued their alliance with the Vijayanagara Empire. The Thanjavur Nayaks were notable for their patronage of literature and the arts.
Vyankoji Bhonsle or Ekoji I Bhonsle was the younger half-brother of Shivaji and founder of Maratha rule in Thanjavur. He was the progenitor of the junior branch of the Bhonsle family which ruled Thanjavur until the formal annexation of the kingdom by the British in 1855.
The Thanjavur Maratha kingdom of the Bhonsle dynasty was a principality of Tamil Nadu between the 17th and 19th centuries. Their native language was Thanjavur Marathi. Venkoji was the founder of the dynasty.
Venkatamakhin or Venkatamakhi, was an Indian poet, musician, and musicologist of Carnatic music. He is renowned for his Chaturdandiprakashika in which he explicates the melakarta system of classifying ragas. Venkatamakhin composed geethams and prabandhas, as well as 24 ashtapadis in praise of Lord Thyagaraja of Tiruvarur.
Sriman Hiranyagarbha Ravikula Raja Muthu Vijaya Raghunatha Raja Raghunatha Deva Kilavan Setupati was first king of Ramnad Kingdom which is also known "Maravar Kingdom". He ruled from 1673 to 1708 and oversaw the growth of the feudal chieftainship of Ramnad into powerful "Ramnad Kingdom" which is known as "Maravar Kingdom". He rescued the Nayak of Madurai from the tyranny of Rustam Khan and also successfully campaigned against the King of Thanjavur, who later ceded all his territories.
The Thondaman Dynasty is south Indian dynasty of chieftains who ruled the region in and around Pudukottai from the 17th to 20th century. It was founded by Raghunatha Thondaiman, the brother-in-law of the then Raja of Ramnad, Raghunatha Kilavan Setupati.
The Dynasty of Ramnad was a permanently settled zamindari estate that existed in the Ramnad subdivision of the Madurai district and later Ramnad district of the erstwhile Madras Presidency in British India from 1601 to 1949. It was ruled by the rajas of Maravar caste who also had the title of Sethupathi. Maravars ruled the Ramnad area as traditional chieftains between 14th to 16th century CE, and in 17th century CE they expanded their power to establish "Ramnad Kingdom" which is also aknown as "Maravar Kingdom", in 1795 CE after the Carnatic wars they were reduced to the status of zamidari by the British raj. After the independence of India in 1947 the estates were merged in the Union of India and in 1949 all rulers lost the ruling rights, privy purse was also finally abolished in 1971.
The Sethupathis are a Tamil clan of the Maravar community native to the Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu, India. They were from the 17th century considered independent kings who ruled the Ramnad kingdo, also known as Maravar country. The male rulers of Ramnathapuram also bore the title of "Sethupathi" or "protector of the bridge", which was first granted to the first Sethupathi Raghunatha Kilavan by the Thanjavur Nayaks, the bridge here referring to the legendary sacred Rama's Bridge, while female rulers bore the title "Nachiyar". Among the seventy two poligars of the region, the Sethupathi stood first. This special position was conferred not based upon the revenue that his kingdom generated but because of his military prowess. Back in the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Sethupathi ruler could mobilize a considerable army, about 30,000 to 40,000 strong at short notice(one week).
Muddupalani was a Telugu speaking poet and devadasi attached to the court of Pratap Singh (1739–63), the Maratha king of Tanjore. Some commentators date her life to 1739-90, and her place of birth as Nagavasram in Thanjavur district. She is noted as a poet and scholar and particularly for her erotic epic Rādhikā-sāntvanam
The Marava War of Succession was the war of succession between, Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi the heir apparent and eldest son of Raghunatha Kilavan and Tanda Thevar for the throne of Ramnad kingdom, also known as the Maravar Kingdom. The war of succession and the ensuing civil war lasted from 1720 to 1729 and resulted in the partitioning of the Ramnad kingdom reducing its power and influence.
Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi ruled from 1710 to 1720 the "Ramnad Kingdom", also known as "Maravar Kingdom". He was an adopted son of Raghunatha Kilavan, the founder of the "Ramnad Kingdom". Sethupathi was the title granted by Thanjavur Nayaks to his adoptive father Raghunatha Kilavan, and this title was retained by his descendants.
Achuthappa Nayak was the Thanjavur Nayak king who ruled from 1560 to 1614. From 1560 to 1580, he was co-monarch along with his father and from 1580 to 1614, he ruled on his own. His reign is generally regarded as one of peace and stability.
Raghunatha Nayak was the third ruler of Thanjavur, southern India, from the Nayak dynasty. He ruled from 1600 to 1634 and is considered to be the greatest of the Thanjavur Nayak kings. His reign is noted for the attainments of Thanjavur in literature, art and Carnatic music.
Vijaya Raghava Nayak was the fourth and last king of Sevappa Nayak's line. He ruled from 1634 to 1673. In 1673, Vijaya Raghava Nayak was defeated in battle by the Madurai Nayak king Chokkanatha Nayak who captured and beheaded him.
Chemakura Venkataraju was a Telugu poet in the court of the Thanjavur Nayak king Raghunatha Nayak who ruled from 1600 to 1634. He wrote Vijayavilasamu, a prabandha on the marriage of the Indian mythological hero Arjuna with Ulupi and Subhadra. In a preface to the work, Venkataraju heaps praise on Raghunatha Nayak. Chemakura was the first person to write a prabandha on Sarangadhara, an epic popular in Western India
Rāmabhadrāmbā was a poet and consort of the Thanjavur Nayak king Raghunatha Nayak. She wrote the Sanskrit epic Raghunathabhyudayam, a biography of her husband. Ramabhadramba was also a disciple of the Telugu poet Chengalva Kalakavi. Tharu and Lalita says that she "could compose poetry in three languages and was an expert in Ashtavadhanam ." They also claim that she was a historian who left behind "accounts of the political and military events in Raghunandanayaka's reign" and has documented the presence of several women composers in the court.
Raghunatha Ramayana is a Telugu translation of the Hindu epic Ramayana made by the Thanjavur Nayak ruler Raghunatha Nayak. Of the whole work, only the first three cantos and a part of the fourth is extant.
The Rādhikā-sāntvanam is a poem composed by the Telugu-speaking poet and devadasi Muddupalani (1739–90) concerning the marital relationship of the deity Krishna, his aunt Radha and new wife Ila, and the appeasement of the jealousy of Radha.
The Raghunāthābhyudayam by Rāmabhadrāmbā, one of the wives of the Thanjavur Nayak king Raghunatha Nayak, is a Sanskrit mahākāvya in twelve cantos. It was designed to valorise Raghunatha, situating his career as a type of the life of Rāma-Viṣṇu-Kṛṣṇa.
Varunakulattan was a 17th-century feudal lord and military commander from the Jaffna Kingdom. He led a rebellion as the military commander of Thanjavur Nayak against the Portuguese in their conquest of the Jaffna kingdom in 1619. Although the nominal king was Cankili II, Varunakulattan was described as the king of Karaiyars, and wield the real power in the Jaffna Peninsula.
Tharu and Lalita (Eds.) Women Writing in India. New York: The Feminist Press, 1991.
