TANJORE NAYAK KINGS

Tanjore Nayak kings started as viceroys of Vijaynagar dynasty lasted 1535 to 1675,a span of 140 years by only 4 kings each having a lengthy reign.Their reign ended after a battle with the Madurai Nayaks paving way for the Maratha rule in Tanjore,which exists in a small form to this day.Tanjore is in Tamil Nadu state,India The Vijayanagara empire was based in the Deccan, in peninsular and southern India, from 1336 onwards. ... The Madurai Nayaks were rulers of Madurai state during the years 1559-1736. ... The Marāthās is a collective term referring to an Indo Aryan group of Hindu, Marathi-speaking castes of warriors and peasants hailing mostly from the present-day state of Maharashtra, who created a substantial empire, covering a major part of India, in the late 17th and 18th centuries... Thanjavur, also known as Tanjore, is a city in Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. ... Thanjavur, also known as Tanjore, is a city in Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ...

Begginings

When the Last Chola Rajendra III died in 1279,Tanjore was ruled by various small chieftans,claiming descendancy of the formers,until annexed by the Vijayanagar kingdom in late 14th century,thus ending the glorious Chola chapter which started with Vijayala in 850 A.D.The Vijaynagar rulers installed viceroys as in other parts. In 1535 A.D., Achyuta Deva Raya(Brother and sucessor of Krishna Deva Raya) of Vijayanagar granted Chevappa Nayak,his co-brother the domains of the Tanjore province to establish a seperate state,under the domain of Vijaynagar. If Madurai Nayak dynasties were notable for their Temples and articheture,Tanjore Nayaks were notable for their contributions in literature and arts. The Cholas were the most famous of the three dynasties that ruled ancient Tamil Nadu. ... Thanjavur, also known as Tanjore, is a city in Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. ... Vijayanagara (often written Vijayanagar), in northern Karnataka, is the name of the now ruined capital city of the historic Vijayanagar empire in the Southern part of India. ... The Vijayanagara empire was based in the Deccan, in peninsular and southern India, from 1336 onwards. ... The Emperor Sri Achyuta Raya was a ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire of south India. ... This article needs cleanup. ... The Vijayanagara empire was based in the Deccan, in peninsular and southern India, from 1336 onwards. ... Literature is literally acquaintance with letters as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary (from the Latin littera meaning an individual written character (letter)). The term has generally come to identify a collection of texts, which in Western culture are mainly prose, both fiction and non-fiction... A precise definition of the arts can be contentious, but the following areas of activity are usually included: Art / Visual arts Architecture Crafts Dance Drawing Film Literature Music Painting Photography Pottery Sculpture Theater Unlike art, design focuses less on the aesthetics of a thing and more on the functionality of...

Cevvappa Nayak (1535-1590 A.D.)

Cevvappa Nayak,the first Tanjore nayak,whose wife Murtimamba was a sister of Queen Thirumalamba,wife of King Achyuta Deva Raya of Vijaynagar.Manuscripts suggests that he incurred Tanjore Kingdom as a part of Marriage alliance,while further sources point out that he was a betel bearer(ataippakkaran) to Achyuta Deva Raya.But in fact he was also the son of Timmappa Nayak,an another viceroy(nayakkattanam) from the Arcot region. Look up queen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A manuscript (Latin manu scriptus written by hand), strictly speaking, is any written document that is put down by hand, in contrast to being printed or reproduced some other way. ... Binomial name Piper betle L. The Betel (Piper betle) is a spice whose leaves have medicinal properties. ... Arcot is a city and metropolitan district in Vellore District of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. ...

Achuthappa Nayak (1564-1612 A.D.)

Achuthappa,aptly named in memory of his fathers master Achyuta Deva Raya,led a dull but peaceful reign of 48 years. His minister Govinda Diksita a paragon of wisdom, great scholar and shrewd administrator, whose career started with his father and will end with his son,Raghunatha Nayak.It was under Govinda Diksita,that the Brahmins in Tanjore Kingdom will wield greater powers as tax collectors and land caretakers, as by this time the Nayak kings started ceding large tracts of fertile lands to Temples, putting much emphasis on Hindu religion. Given the compact and fertile nature of the Tanjore kingdom, the rulers had other favorite past times to indulge in, of which the favorite being Temples (mainly building activity at the Srirangam temple) and Litreature.On the other side the Madurai Nayaks whose reign lasted twice as much, was often surrounded by barren lands and vandalous neighbors and subjects, keeping them busy in ware fares. It was during Achuthappa reign that the Vijayanagara Empire was routed at the battle of Talikota, but the Thanjavur Nayaks never swerved from their loyalty,when the Vijayanagar kings later re-established at Penukonda in Anantapur and Vellore in North Arcot and atChandragiri(From whom the British obtained land grant to construct a fort,making way for the city of Chennai). His son and successor Raghunatha Nayak was born after prayers to Srirangam temple,hence the Srirangam temple received a huge fillip during his rule. Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Anantapur is the headquarters of the Anantapur District. ... A historical town in the state of Tamil Nadu, in southernmost India, Vellore (வேலூர் in Tamil) is now the headquarters of Vellore district. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Chennai (Tamil: சென்னை, formerly known as Madras , is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is Indias fourth largest metropolitan city. ...

Raghunatha Nayak (1612-1634 A.D.)

Son of Achutappa Nayak regarded as the greatest in the Tanjore lineage.Literary pursuits and great scholastic works would reach the new heightsduring his reign. One of his wives, Ramabhadrama was a highly learned and a gifted poet. During his time he granted military assistance to the Chandragiri ruler Venkatagiri to recover most of his lost areas (in present day Andhra Pradesh)from the Golconda forces.

Dutch settlement

In 1620 Raghunatha Nayak permitted a Dutch settlement at Tranquebar(Tarangambadi),two years later allowing them to erect a fort,inspiring the English to do the seek trade with the Tanjore Nayaks,which later would lead to far-reaching repercussions. Tranquebar, 1600. ... Categories: India geography stubs ... Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ...

Arts and Litreature

Raghnatha was a gifted scholar in both Sanskrit and Telugu,and also a talented musician. The literary traditions established by Chevappa, under the tutelage of Govinda Dikshita, bore fruition under the rule of Raghunatha.Hence his court was distinguished for its assembly of pundits and scholars.Also from his reign was the foundations of what was to be our culture were laid,also as Telugu culture was imported and adapted to Tamil traditions.Also Sanskrit andTelugu literature reached new heights. During his times,Yakshagana gave birth to a dance drama, the Bhagavata Mela, the Tholu Bommulu (dolls) to the Tholu Bommalatam and even the marionette tradition or Bommalatam(puppet show) is believed to have Telugu origins, as the name suggests. Raghunatha Nayak was a scholar of Sanskrit and Telugu literature, a musician who authored several books. Maduravani and Ramabhadramba(also his wife) were two famous poetesses in his court, while Sudhindra and Raghavendra were two famous Madhva gurus patronised by him. Govinda Dikshita's son Yajnanarayana has chronicled Raghunatha's rule in his work Sahitya Ratnakara.Govinda Diksihta, who served as a minister for Achyutappa and Raghunatha Nayak, was also a great scholar. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Gifted education. ... A scholar is either a student or someone who has achieved a mastery of some academic discipline, perhaps receiving financial support through a scholarship. ... Sanskrit ( संस्कृतम् ; pronunciation: ) is an Indo-European classical language of India and a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. ... Telugu may refer to: TELUGU PORTAL Telugu language Telugu script Telugu people This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... A puppet is any controlled character, whether formed by a shadow, strings, by the use of a glove, by direct mechanical contrivance (for example a cable-controlled figure for film or TV) or electronic guidance (such as a radio or infrared remote controller). ...

It was during Raghunatha's reign that a palace library was started, a Sarasvati Bhandar,where manuscripts of Raghunatha’s prolific court scholars were collected and preserved.Which was to be developed and enriched later by Rajah Serfoji II into the presently reputed Saraswati Mahal Library.

The Nayaks had left a rich legacy in Thanjavur, as they did elsewhere in Tamilnadu. Although they were Telugu speaking neighbours, they patronised literature, religion and the arts particularly Sanskrit and Telugu literature. On Raghunatha's death in 1645 A.D., Vijayaraghava ascended the throne.

Vijaya Raghava Nayak(1645-1673 A.D.)

Vijaya Raghava Nayak, the son of illustrious Raghunatha Nayak ascended the Tanjore throne in 1645 to rule till 1673 A.D. He is the last of the Nayak Kings of Thanjavur. His long reign of Vijayaraghava witnessed the greatest amount of literary output both in Music and Litreature, in Telugu than any other ruler in south or in the Andhra country. Vijayaraghava’s court had a number of good poets and literary scholars.A unique and interesting feature which distinguished from others was that his court was filled with a large number of highly accomplished women poetesses learned both in Sanskrit and Telugu, also adept in Bharata Natya Sastra.

Vijayaraghava Nayaka himself has to his credit more than 30 works in Telugu. Some of the which are available only in this Library. His drama Vipnarayana charitra and its Tamil translation are the publications of this Library. Chengalva Kalayakavi a court poet of Vijayaraghava describes the Thanjavur court in Vijayaraghava's time in his Rajagopalavilasamu. His long reign sadly came to an abrupt end by the Chokkanatha Nayak of Madurai.

End of Nayak rule and the Start of Maratha rule

The end of Tanjore Nayak was not by the Marathas, but by Chokkantha Nayak of Madurai .The reason being the refusal of the Tanjore Nayak to give his beautiful and gifted daughter in marriage to Chokkanatha Nayak. Chokkantha determined to fetch the maiden by force back into their capital, successfully stormed the Tanjore palace after flattening much of the fort walls by cannons. But they did not get the princess, when her father placed her and all the other ladies of the palace in one room, blew this up with gunpowder and then, with his son and his body-guard, charged furiously into the thickest of the enemy, was captured after a desperate resistance, and was beheaded by the Madurai Dalovay(General) Venkata Krishnappa. (A curious reference here is, Chokkanatha after this unsuccessful attempt later married Mangammal, daughter of his generals who later earned her place in history as Rani Mangammal one of the greatest rulers of Madurai, when she was a queen regent on behalf of her crowned infant grandson) Extent of the Maratha Confederacy ca. ... The history of the temple city of Madurai( now in Tamilnadu, India) will not be complete without mentioning the name of Rani Mangammal, a woman of great skill and sagacity. ... Madurai (மதுரை in Tamil) is situated on the banks of Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state. ...

The “battle won war lost” Chokkanatha placed his foster-brother Alagiri in charge of the Government of Tanjore, but within a year the latter threw off his allegiance, and Chokkanatha was now so given up to self-indulgence and so ill-served by his disloyal officers that, after an outburst of indignation which ended in nothing, he was forced to acquiesce in the independence of Tanjore. Alagiri, however, was not long permitted to enjoy his illgotten kingdom. A son or grandson of the last Tanjore Nayak Vijaya Raghava had escaped to the Musalman court of Bijapur and had induced that power to help to place him on the throne of his fathers. In 1675, the Sultan of Bijapur sent a force commanded by the Maratha general Venkaji (alias Ekohji) to turn out the Madura usurper and reinstate the scion of the old line. Venkaji ventured little until the occurrence of the rupture between Chokkanatha and Alagiri; but he then defeated the latter with ease, and occupied Tanjore. He did not, however, place his protege on the throne as instruted by the Bijapur Sultan, though he treated the Nayaka protege kindly enough,he seized the kingdom for himself. So the outcome of Chokkanatha’s feebleness was that a Maratha, instead of Nayakkan, sat upon the throne of Tanjore,which would continue for Centuries till date.

Maratha’s arrival

Venkaji shortly afterwards became embroiled with his famous half-brother Sivaji, and Chokkanatha attempted to take advantage of the circumstance to regain his hold on Tanjore. But he was dilatory in the field and in his negotiations, and Venkaji succeeded in buying off the hostility of Santoji (the son of Sivaji, whom the latter had despatched against him) before Chokkanatha could effect anything. This was in 1677-78.Thus ended the reign of Nayaks and the start of Maratha power in Tanjore,who were patrons of Art,even if otherwise they were seen as dissolute and weak.

As on anonymous Portuguese Jesuit recounts in 1745… “The kingdoms of Maduery,Tiruxirapalli,and Tanjaor were dominated for many years by the Cartaccal,legitimate lords,gentiles of the Nayaquen or Varuguen caste.Only the kingdom of Tanjaor,which is to the east of Tiruxirapalli,has for many years been under the rule of a Maratha king.For,the Marathas arriving,perhaps sixty-five of seventy years ago,with a formidable army in Tanjaor,with the pretext of restituting to its throne one of its claimants(grandson of the last Tanjore Nayak Vijaya Raghava),they expelled the king of the Nayaquen caste(Alagiri Nayak from Madura),and without handing the fortress over to the said pretender, there remained in it as a ruler one of the lords(Venkaji) from among those who had come in the army(Bijapur):And when this man dead, his sons and grandsons continue to reign to the present, without the legitimate claimants or old lords being able to return to the throne until now”….thus nearly three-quarters of a century after the deposition of the Nayakkan rulers of Tnajore,they continued to be remembered, in some quarters at least ,as the ‘legitimate rulers’ of that area.