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The Thanjavur Nayakdynasty were the rulers of Thanjavur in the 15th and 17th centuries. The Nayaks, who belonged to the Telugu-speaking Balija social group were originally appointed as provincial governors by the Vijayanagara Emperor in the 15th century, who divided the territory into Nayak kingdoms which were Madurai, Tanjore, Gingee and Kalahasthi. In the mid-15th 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.
Vellore Fort is a large 16th-century fort situated in heart of the Vellore city, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India built by the Emperors of Vijayanagara. The fort was at one time the imperial capital of the Aravidu Dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. The fort is known for its grand ramparts, wide moat and robust masonry.
The Aravidu Dynasty was the fourth and last Hindu dynasty of Vijayanagara Empire in South India. Its founder was Tirumala Deva Raya, whose brother Rama Raya had been the masterful regent of the last ruler of the previous dynasty. Rama Raya's death at the Battle of Talikota in 1565 led to the subsequent destruction of Vijayanagar by the combined forces of the Muslim states of the Deccan. The Aravidu family claimed to be Kshatriyas and were based in Andhra region. They claimed to belong to the Atreya gotra and traced their lineage to the Eastern Chalukya king Rajaraja Narendra.
Tirumala Deva Raya was the first crowned Emperor of Vijayanagara from the Aravidu Dynasty. He was the younger brother of Rama Raya and the husband of princess Vengalamba, making him the son-in-law of Emperor Krishna Deva Raya. Following the Battle of Talikota, he rescued the last Tuluva Emperor, Sadasiva Raya, and relocated the imperial capital to Penukonda. After Sadasiva's death in 1570 CE, he ascended as the Emperor of Vijayanagara. He was succeeded by his son, Sriranga I in 1572.
Rama Deva Raya ascended the throne after a gruesome war in 1617 as the King of Vijayanagara Empire. In 1614 his father, Sriranga II the preceding King and his family were gruesomely murdered by rival factions headed by Jagga Raya, who was one of their kins. Rama Deva himself was smuggled out of the prison by Yachama Naidu, a faithful commander and the viceroy of earlier king Venkata II.
Sriranga III was the last ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, who came to power in 1642 following the death of his uncle Venkata III. He was also a great grandson of Aliya Rama Raya.
Sriranga Deva Raya was the second Emperor of Vijayanagara from the Aravidu Dynasty. He reigned the empire from the fortress of Penukonda. Sriranga succeeded his father, Emperor Tirumala Deva Raya. After the fall of Vijayanagara to Turko-Persian Sultanates of Deccan, he carried out the restoration of the empire from Penukonda. His reign was marred with repeated invasions and subsequent losses of territory to his Turko-Persian Muslim neighbours.
Venkatapati Raya was the third Emperor of Vijayanagara from the Aravidu Dynasty. He succeeded his older brother, the Emperor Sriranga Deva Raya as the ruler of Vijayanagara Empire with bases in Penukonda, Chandragiri and Vellore. His reign of nearly three decades saw a revival in the strength and prosperity of the empire. He successfully dealt with the Turko-Persian Deccan sultans of Bijapur and Golkonda, the internal disorders, promoting economic revival in the realm. He subdued the rebelling Nayakas of Tamil Nadu and parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh.
Venkata III was the grandson of Aliya Rama Raya. Venkata III belonged to a Telugu family and became the King of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1632 to 1642. His brothers-in-law were Damarla Venkatappa Nayaka and Damarla Ayyappa Nayaka, both sons of Damarla Chennapa Nayakadu.
The Madurai Nayaks were a Telugu dynasty who ruled most of modern-day Tamil Nadu, India, with Madurai as their capital. The Madurai Nayaks had their origins in the Balija warrior clans of present-day Andhra Pradesh. The Nayak reign which lasted for over two centuries from around 1529 to 1736 was noted for its achievements in arts, cultural and administrative reforms, revitalization of temples previously ransacked by the Delhi Sultans, and the inauguration of a unique architectural style.
The Venkatagiri estate was an estate in the erstwhile Madras Presidency. It was located in the Nellore district of the present-day Andhra Pradesh. The town of Venkatagiri was the administrative headquarters.
The Nayaks of Gingee (Senji) were rulers of the Gingee principality of Tamil Nadu between 16th to 18th century CE. They were subordinates of the imperial Vijayanagara emperors, and were appointed as provincial governors by the Vijayanagar Emperor who divided the Tamil country into three Nayakships viz., Madurai, Tanjore and Gingee. Later, after the fall of the Vijayanagara's Tuluva dynasty, the Gingee rulers declared independence. While they ruled independently, they were sometimes at war with the Tanjore neighbors and the Vijayanagara overlords later based in Vellore and Chandragiri. The Gingee Nayaks had their origins in the Balija Merchant clans of present-day Andhra Pradesh.
The Nayakas of Kalahasti were a line of rulers of Kalahasti and Vandavasi principalities. Members of the group include Damarla Chennapa Nayaka, after whom the city of Chennai is named. The Kalahasti Nayaks had their origins in the Velama warrior clans of present-day Andhra Pradesh. These Nayakas served as vassals of the late Vijayanagara Empire, then held by the Aravidu Dynasty and headquartered at Chandragiri and Vellore.
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.
Venkata I was an Emperor of Vijayanagara from the Tuluva Dynasty. He was the son of Emperor Achyuta Deva Raya, whom he succeeded in 1542 CE.
Gobburi Jagga Raya was a de facto King of Vijayanagara Empire on behalf adopted nephew named Chenga Raya, a rival claimant to the Vijaynagara thorne. He was the brother of Venkata II's favourite Queen Obayamma who was bequeathed the Pulicat region and belonged to the Gobburi family of Nayaks under the Vijayanagar Empire.
Chamaraja Wodeyar III was fifth raja of the Kingdom of Mysore and the last one to rule as feudal king under the Vijayanagara Empire. He reigned after his father's demise in 1513 until his death in 1553.
Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu or Chennapa Nayak, Damarla Chennapa Nayaka was a Nayak ruler of Kalahasti and Vandavasi under the suzerainty of Vijayanagar emperor Venkatapati Raya. He was also the Dalavoy or the Commander-in-Chief of the emperor. He belongs to the Velama caste. He married Akkamamba, the daughter of Venkatagiri ruler Velugoti Kasturi Ranga and younger sister of Velugoti Yachama Nayaka. The line of Nayaks were chieftains during the Vijayanagar empire and attained full power after its decline, becoming independent Nayaks.
This battle caused complete destruction of the already declining Vijayanagara Empire. It was a civil war fought by the claimants for the kingship of the Vijayanagara Empire. Jagga Raya challenged the Sriranga Authority on behalf of his nephew.
The Nayaks of Vellore were local Telugu chieftains of the Vellore principality of Vijayanagar Emperor in the 16th century CE. They were subordinates appointed as provincial governors by the Vijayanagar Emperor, who divided their entire kingdom into various Nayakships viz., Madurai, Thanjavur and Senji. Later, after the fall of the Vijayanagara's Tuluva dynasty in 1565, the other Nayaks of the Tamil region declared independence, but Vellore Nayakship continued to remain under the Aravidu Dynasty of the Vijayanagar Empire.
References
- ↑ Journal of Indian History Volumes 5-6. 1927. pp. 174, 175.
- http://www.thiruvarangam.com/history.html
- Rao, Velcheru Narayana, and David Shulman, Sanjay Subrahmanyam. Symbols of substance : court and state in Nayaka period Tamilnadu (Delhi ; Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1998) ; xix, 349 p., [16] p. of plates : ill., maps ; 22 cm. ; Oxford India paperbacks ; Includes bibliographical references and index ; ISBN 0-19-564399-2.
- Sathianathaier, R. History of the Nayaks of Madura [microform] by R. Sathyanatha Aiyar ; edited for the University, with introduction and notes by S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar ([Madras] : Oxford University Press, 1924) ; see also ([London] : H. Milford, Oxford university press, 1924) ; xvi, 403 p. ; 21 cm. ; SAMP early 20th-century Indian books project item 10819.
- K.A. Nilakanta Sastry, History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar, 1955, OUP, (Reprinted 2002) ISBN 0-19-560686-8.