Thanjavur Nayak kingdom

The Thanjavur Nayak kingdom was a South Indian polity ruled by a Telugu-speaking Nayak dynasty that governed Thanjavur from about 1532 until 1673. Its founder, Sevappa Nayaka, belonged to the Balija merchant-warrior community and was appointed as a provincial governor by the Vijayanagara emperor Achyuta Deva Raya. The Nayaks ruled as hereditary feudatories, but after the Vijayanagara defeat at Talikota in 1565 they became increasingly autonomous. Under Sevappa (1532-1580), Achuthappa (1560-1614) and Raghunatha (1600-1634), the kingdom expanded its influence and became a major patron of Tamil, Telugu and Sanskrit literature, music and temple architecture. Raghunatha's court included the poet Ramabhadramba and the scholar Govinda Dikshitar, and the king himself wrote works on music and poetry. The last ruler, Vijaya Raghava Nayaka (1634-1673), was a noted patron of Yakshagana theatre. In 1673 the Madurai Nayak ruler Chokkanatha besieged Thanjavur; the city fell, Vijaya Raghava died in the fighting, and the kingdom passed briefly to Madurai before the Maratha general Venkoji founded the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom in 1675.