Madakari Nayaka
Encyclopedia
Madakari Nayaka was the last ruler of Chitradurga
Chitradurga
Chitradurga is a town in the southern part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also the headquarters of Chitradurga district. Chitradurga was also known by the names Chitradurg, Chitrakaladurga, Chittaldurg. Chittaldrug was the name officially used by the British Govt.-Geography:Chitradurga is...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Nayaka lost Chitradurga in a siege of Mysore by Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...

, and was slain by Ali's son Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...

.

During the reign of Madakari Nayaka, the city of Chitradurga was besieged by the troops of Hyder Ali. Hyder Ali spotted a woman entering Chitradurga through a gap (kiNDi) in the rocks and sent his soldiers through it. The guard on duty of the port near the gap had gone home for lunch. When there was no water at home, wife Obavva left home to bring some water for her husband. En route, she noticed Hyder Ali's soldiers entering the fort from the gap. She didn't want to wake her husband from the lunch, so she took a onake (flail for rice), started hitting the soldiers one by one as they were trying to enter the fort. Upon his return from lunch, Obavva's husband was shocked to see Obavva with a blood-stained onake and hundreds of soldiers lying dead about her.
The passage remains as marker of the story, beside the Tanniru DoNi — a small water source which holds cold water year round. Hyder Ali attacked again in 1799 and took the fort. The place is renowned for its Kallina Kote ("the place of the stone fort"), and is home to the Fort of Seven Rounds, which is built with large stones.

Chitradurga Paleyagar family history

The Chitradurga Paleyagar family was of the Beda or Boyar
Boyar (caste)
A boyar, also spelled boya, meaning Hunter or Warrior, denotes the leader of a group or head of a territory. They constitute the Kshatriya or Warrior class of India and are believed to have originated from an ancient people called the Kirata , a generic term in Sanskrit literature for people who...

caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...

, and was one of the hill tribes who subsisted by hunting and tending cattle. The accounts of their origin are somewhat confused. According to one tradition, three Beda families emigrated from Jadikal-durga, in Tirupati, and settled at Nirutadi near Bharamasngara in about 1475. They are said to have belonged to the Kamageti family and Valmiki gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...

. The son and the grandson of one of these, Hire Hanummappa Nayaka and Timmanna Nayaka, settled at Matti in Davangere taluk. The latter, called Kamageti Timmanna Nayaka, was appointed by the Vijayanagara king, first as the Nayaka
Nayak (title)
Nayak, Nayaka, Nayakar, Nayakkar, Naik, Naiker, Naicker, Naickan, Naiken, Nayakkan, Naidu, Nayudu or Naidoo is a common title used by various caste and ethnic groups across India. They are all derivatives of the original Sanskrit Nayaka, meaning a leader...

 of Holalkere, then of Hiriyur, and finally of Chitradurga. He fortified the hill at Chitradurga and conducted himself in such a manner that a force was sent by the king against him. According to another account, Timmanna Nayaka came with a small body of armed men from a place called Madakeri below the ghat
Ghat
Ghat is the capital of the Ghat District in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya.-History:In historical times, Ghat was a major terminal point on the Trans-Saharan trade route and a major administrative center in the Fezzan...

s
near Tirupati and entered the service of the Paleyagar of Basavapattana. Later, as some quarrel arose about a mistress he had kept at Matti, he left the place and took refuge at Mayakonda. Pursued there as well, he escaped to the jungle near Guntur, and after collecting a band, started plundering the area and erected a small fort called Rangapatna near Haleyur. The neighbouring Paleyagars of Harapanahalli, Nidugal, and Basavapattana, being annoyed by his depredations, united against him and, with the aid of some Vijayanagara troops, marched upon Rangapatna. Timmanna Nayaka was then forced to retire to Chitradurga, where he was closely besieged. At that time the following incident occurred, which led to his recognition as one of the chiefs dependent on Vijayanagara. This was in about 1562.

Timmanna Nayaka

Timmanna Nayaka distinguished himself by stealing into the camp at night with the intention of carrying off the horse of Saluva Narasinga Raya, the Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....

 prince who commanded the forces against him. The prince awoke, and Timmanna hid in the straw to escape observation. The prince reset the peg for the heel ropes into the ground, and unknowingly impaled Timmanna's with it. Timmanna remained silent and hidden, and when all was again still, he released himself by cutting off the pinned hand and stole the horse. This act showed the besieging army that Timmanna could not be intimdated. A peace was said to have been concluded after that. The Vijayanagara king invited Timmanna to the capital and expressed his great admiration of his courageous exploit. At the request of the king, Timmanna Nayaka next took Gulbarga, which the Vijayanagara forces had failed to take even after a siege of six months. The king, pleased with this, invited Timmanna to court. Timmanna later incurred the royal displeasure, and was imprisoned at Vijayanagara, where he died.

Timmanna Nayaka was succeeded by his son Obana Nayaka. He took the name Madakeri Nayaka, and he declared his independence from the Vijayanagara Empire within a few years taking the throne.

In 1602, Obana Nayaka was succeeded by his son Kasturi Rangappa Nayaka. His reign was full of conflicts with the neighbouring chiefs. Several battles took place with the Paleyagar of Basavapattana over various locations, such as Mayakonda, Santebennur, Holalkere, Anaji, and Jagalur, all of which ultimately remained as parts of Chitradurga territory. At the time of his death in 1652, Obana's possessions yielded a revenue of 65,000 Durgi Pagoda
Pagoda
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...

s.

Rangappa Nayaka was succeeded by his son Madakeri Nayaka II in 1652, who was also credited with a number of victories, particularly in the east. During his time, the kingdom was divided into four regions. The local officers in charge of these were Hotte Gurukanna, Karanika Bhunappa, Abbigere Mallanna, and Karanika Appanna. Rangappa died in 1674, leaving a dominion yielding 100,000 Durgi Pagodas.

Chikkanna Nayaka

Madakeri Nayaka had no children, and his adopted son, Obana Nayaka, succeeded him to the throne of Chitradurga. Obana was put to death by the Dalavayis, possibly because he had failed to give them the customary tributes. Chikkanna Nayaka, a younger brother of Madakeri Nayaka, was installed in 1676. At this time, the Harapanahalli chief laid siege to Anaji and killed the local officer, Bhunappa. Chikkanna Nayaka went to Anaji and forced the enemy to stop the siege. Immediately after this, he had to go to Harihar to defend it against the Muhammadans, who had attacked it under the command of Shamsher Khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...

. The defence was effected by the following strategy: during the approach at night, numerous torches were lit and fixed to the branches of trees, and the musicians were asked to play on their instruments as usual at Chikkanna's encampment on Baregudda hill. The intention was to create the impression that the army had not moved. The Nayaka marched his whole force through a circuitous route, attacked the fort from the west, and drove off the enemies. Chikkanna formed marriage alliances with the Rayadurga and Basavapattana chiefs. It is said that the Chitradurga family changed its religious faith twice during the reign of this Nayaka. First, the entire family embraced Veerashaivism, and the Nayaka even caused a Matha
Matha
A matha ) is a term for monastic and similar religious establishments of Hinduism and Jainism. A matha is usually more formal, hierarchical, and rule-based than an ashram.-Advaita Mathas:...

to be built in the fort and a Virakta Jangama named Ugrachannaviradeva to be appointed to act as a guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...

 to them. Later, almost all are said to have returned to their original faith. Chikkanna Nayaka died in 1686.

Chikkanna Nayaka was succeeded by his elder brother Linganna Nayaka, also known as Madakeri Nayaka III. At this time there was a serious disagreemtn amongst the Dalavayis as to the rightful successor to the throne. One group, headed by Panchamara Muddanna, imprisoned and later killed Linganna Nayaka, and placed Donne Rangappa Nayaka on the throne. Muddanna remained the strongest man in Chitradurga until another faction headed by Dalavayi Bharamappa took power. Muddanna and his brothers were soon destroyed, and Donne Rangappa was imprisoned.

Bharamappa Nayaka

Dalavayi Bharamappa was interested in the integrity of the state. Without a direct heir to the throne, he, in consultation with the other elders of the court, brought in a distant heir named Bharamappa Nayaka. The new Nayaka ascended to the throne in about 1689. This was a difficult time for the state; it was during this period that the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

s overran the possessions of Bijapur and established their government at Sira
Sira, India
Sira is a town and taluk headquarters of Sira Taluk of Tumkur district in the state of Karnataka, India. It lies on the National Highway NH-4 and NH-234 .-Geography:...

, of which Basavapattana and Budihal were made paraganas, and to which Chitradurga and other neighbouring states of Paleyagars became tributaries. There were many battles during the reign of this Nayaka between both Chitradurga and Harapanahalli as well as Rayadurga and Bijapur. The Nayaka was successful in all these battles. His long reign of 33 years (1689–1721) was equally remarkable for the extent of his benefactions. He is said to have built as many as 30 temples, three or four palaces, five strong forts, and not less than 20 tanks throughout his territory. A part of the Chitradurga fort and a number of gateways and bastions are also attributed to him. The only thing from which people suffered during this reign was the great plague in 1703, which took a heavy toll and caused an almost complete evacuation of the capital city for some days.

Upon his death in 1721, Bharamappa Nayaka was succeeded by his son Hiri Madakeri Nayaka. Within two or three years of accession, the young prince had to face the consequences of a famine and the Maratha raid under Piraji. His reign was punctuated with a number of hostilities against Harapanahalli, Savanur, Bidanur and the Marathas. He was generally successful in his engagements and annexed a large tract of country in the north-east extending beyond Molakahnuru. There was a great battle in Mayakonda in 1747–48 between Chitradurga and the confederate forces of Bidanur, Rayadurga, Harapanahalli, and Savanur. The Chitradurga army met with disaster, and the Nayaka was slain by Somashekhara Nayaka of Harapanahalli. During the reign of this Nayaka, Chitratlurga rose in prosperity; state revenue reached 300,000 Durgi Pagodas. The chief is remembered for the construction of a number of temples, but he also made arrangements for a number of worship ceremonies and festivals in different temples.

Kasturi Rangappa Nayaka II

The next Nayaka was his son Kasturi Rangappa Nayaka II, who retook Mayakonda. He achieved this with the help of the Maratha Sardar Murari Rao and the Subedar of Advani. Kasturi Rangappa Nayaka is said to have made various expeditions to the north and south, and in the latter direction gained some possessions in the Budihal region. He is also said to have maintained a friendship with the Subedar of Sira. He died in 1754 without an heir, and Madakeri Nayaka, called Madakeri Nayaka the last, son of one Bharamappa Nayaka of Janakal-Durga, was his successor. Then who is the next king

Raja Veera Madakari Nayaka

Madakeri Nayaka, who was to be the last Nayaka
Nayak (ethnic group)
-History and origin:The word nayak means a head of a regiment. This word is derived from the Sanskrit senanayaka, which means head of a regiment. The community trace there descent from the Vaghela Rajputs who converted to Islam in the 12th Century. They established a number of petty states in...

 of Nayak'a chi
tradurga, as twelve years old at the time of his accession to the Chitradurga throne. The enemies of Chitradurga again tried to conquer it, but the Bedas remained faithful and defended the Nayaka. Kalyadurga made an effort alone and met with failure. In 1759–60, a united front formed by Rayadurga, Harapanahalli, and Savannr attacked. A battle took place near Ihoskere, with Chilradurga claiming victory, though with some losses. This was followed by some minor disturbances from the actions of the chiefs of Tarikere and Jarimale in the border areas of the state.

Chitradurga had become a powerful state in the south, such that the major powers like Haidar Ali and the Peshwa
Peshwa
A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...

s sought its help against each other. The Nayaka first helped Haidar Ali in his campaigns against Bankapur, Nijagal, Bidanur, and the Marathas. Despite this, the Nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....

 had been waiting for an opportunity to attack Chitradurga. In 1777, Haidar was threatened with a formidable invasion by the allied armies of the Marathas and the Nizam. The Nayaka of Chitradurga changed his allegiance, and Haidar marched upon Chitradurga, rejecting the offers of the chief to pay a large fine. The siege was maintained unsuccessfully for some months before an arrangement was entered into, and a fine of thirteen lakh
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...

s
of pagodas was levied on the Chief. With the Maratha campaign over, Haidar once more approached Chitradurga, which held out against Haidar for months. With the assistance of treacherous Muhammadan officers in the Paleyagar's service, Chitradurga was taken in 1779. Madakeri Nayaka and his family were sent as prisoners to Srirangapattana, and 20,000 Beda soldiers from Chitradurga were sent to the island of Srirangapattana (Mysore), with the sole view of breaking up their power. After the death of the Nayaka, the Chitradurga treasury is said to have yielded to Haidar, inter alia
Inter Alia
-Track listing:# Inter Alia# Outfox'd # Righteous Badass # The Altogether feat. Bix, Apt, UNIVERSE ARM and Cal# The Day-to-Daily# Trouble Brewing # The Prestidigitator# The Force...

, the following quantities of coins: 400,000 silver; 100,000 royal; 1,700,000 Ashrafi; 2,500,000 Dabolikadali; and 1,000,000 Chavuri.
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