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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.
Raghunatha Kilavan, the founder of the Kingdom of Ramnad, died in 1710. He was an excellent soldier and his death left behind a huge void. Prior to his death, Kilavan had first nominated his illegitimate son, Bhavani Shankar and later, due to protests from the people, chose his younger son, Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi to succeed him. Bhavani Shankar abided by the king's decision but an uneasy calm prevailed throughout Ramnad.
Bhavani Shankar eventually revolted in 1720 and securing the help of the Thanjavur Maratha king Serfoji I and the Raja of Pudukkottai, invaded Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi's seat at Aranthangi. While defending the city, Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi fell victim to plague and died. Just before his death, Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi nominated Tanda Deva, a great-grandson of Raghunatha Kilavan's father to succeed him but before he could acceded to the throne, Bhavani Shankar overthrew him with the support and influence of one of Kilavan's concubines.
Tanda Deva secured the support of the Madurai Nayak king and the Raja of Pudukkottai who had switched sides and invaded Aranthani forcing Bhavani Shankar to flee to Thanjavur. But, Bhavani Shankar won over the Thanjavur Maratha ruler promising him Aranthangi in return and defeated the combined armies of Ramnad, Madurai and Pudukkottai within two or three months. Tanda Deva was eventually captured and killed.
Bhavani Shankar ascended the throne for a second time but did not rule for long. His reign was highly unpopular and most of his trusted generals deserted him. Meanwhile, Bhavani Shankar had earned the ire of the Thanjavur Maratha ruler Tukkoji as he had failed to keep up his promise of delivering Aranthangi to the Thanjavur Marathas. The discontented elements in the kingdom, therefore, approached the Tukkoji and sought his help in overthrowing Bhavani Shankar. Tukkoji invaded Ramnad. Bhavani Shankar was defeated in 1729 in the Battle of Uraiyur and taken prisoner to Thanjavur.
The victorious Thanjavur Maratha forces partitioned the Kingdom of Ramnad into three – all the territories to the north of Pambar River were annexed to the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom. The rest of the kingdom was more or less equally split between Kattaya Deva, a nobleman in the Ramnad court and the maternal uncle of Tanda Deva, who ascended the throne of Ramnad as Kumara Muthu Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi and one of the Ramnad feudatories who became the first Raja of Sivaganga. The Ramnad kingdom lost most of its power and influence due to this war.
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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 12th century considered independent kings in 16th century who ruled the Ramnad kingdom, also known as Maravar country. The male rulers of Ramnathapuram also bore the title of "Sethupathi" or "protector of the bridge", the bridge here referring to the legendary sacred Rama's Bridge, while female rulers bore the title "Nachiyar". Among the 72 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 18th century, the Sethupathi ruler could mobilize a considerable army, about 30,000 to 40,000 strong at short notice.
Anandarayar Sahib was a poet and administrator who served as a minister in the courts of the Thanjavur Maratha kings Shahuji I, Serfoji I and Tukkoji. He was given the honorific title "Peshwa".
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Raja Sri Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman (1641–1730) was the ruler of the Pudukkottai kingdom from 1686 to 1730. A feudatory chieftain of the Sethupathi of Ramnad, in 1686, Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman was recognised as the independent ruler of Pudukkottai by the Sethupathi for the services he had rendered him.
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Achuthappa Nayak was the Nayaka of Thanjavur under the Vijayanagara Empire from 1560 to 1614. From 1560 to 1580, he was co-Nayaka along with his father and from 1580 to 1614, he ruled on his own. His reign was eventful and its later years were marked by conflict.