Keladi Nayaka Kingdom | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1499–1763 | |||||||||||
 Greatest Extent Of Keladi Kingdom during the reign of Shivappa Nayaka. | |||||||||||
| Status | Kingdom (Subordinate toVijayanagara Empire until 1565). Independent Kingdom till 1763 A.D. | ||||||||||
| Capital | Keladi,Ikkeri,Bidanur | ||||||||||
| Official languages | Kannada | ||||||||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
| Raja | |||||||||||
• 1499–1530 | Chowdappa Nayaka | ||||||||||
• 1757–1763 | Queen Veerammaji | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Post-medieval | ||||||||||
• Established | 1499 | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1763 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of | India | ||||||||||
Nayakas of Keladi (Kannada:[keɭɐd̪inaːjɐkɐru]) (1499–1763), also known asNayakas of Bednore (Kannada:[bid̪ɐnuːrunaːjɐkɐru]) andIkkeri Nayakas (Kannada:[ikːeːrinaːjɐkɐru]), were anIndiandynasty based inKeladi in present-dayShimoga district ofKarnataka,India. They were an important ruling dynasty inpost-medieval Karnataka. They initially ruled as a vassal of the famousVijayanagar Empire. After the fall of the empire in 1565, they gained independence and ruled significant parts ofMalnad region of theWestern Ghats in present-day Karnataka, most areas in thecoastal regions of Karnataka and the central plains along theTungabhadra River In 1763 AD, with their defeat toHyder Ali, they were absorbed into theKingdom of Mysore. They played an important part in the history of Karnataka,[1] during a time of confusion and fragmentation that generally prevailed inSouth India after the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire. The Keladi rulers were of theVokkaliga[2][3] and Banajiga[2] castes and wereVeerashaivas by faith.[4][5] TheHaleri Kingdom that ruled overCoorg between 1600 A.D and 1834 A.D. was founded by a member of the Keladi family.[6]
Chaudappa Nayaka, originallyChauda Gowda, (1499–1530), was from a village calledPallibailu nearKeladi. He was the son of coupleBasavappa andBasavamambe, who were into farming.[7] He was the earliest chieftain to rule the area surroundingShimoga, rose through self capability and acumen and was a feudatory ofVijayanagara Empire.
Sadashiva Nayaka (1530–1566)[8] was an important chieftain in the Vijayanagar Empire and earned the titleKotekolahala from emperorAliya Rama Raya for his heroics in thebattle of Kalyani.The coastal provinces of Karnataka came under his direct rule. He moved the capital toIkkeri some 20 km. fromKeladi.
Sankanna Nayaka (1566–1570), succeeded Sadashiva Nayaka.
Chikka Sankanna Nayaka (1570–1580) was an opportunistic ruler who took advantage of the confusion in the Vijayanagar Empire following its defeat atTallikota and grabbed a few provinces inUttara Kannada district.
Rama Raja Nayaka (1580–1586)
Hiriya Venkatappa Nayaka (1586–1629) is considered by scholars as ablest monarch of the clan. He completely freed himself from the overlordship of therelocated Vijayanagar rulers ofPenugonda. Italian travellerPietro Della Valle, who visited his kingdom in 1623, called him an able soldier and administrator. In his reign the kingdom expanded so that it covered coastal regions,Malnad regions, and some regions to the east of theWestern Ghats of present-day Karnataka. He is also known to have defeated the Adilshahis ofBijapur inHanagal. Though aVirashaiva by faith, he built many temples forVaishnavas andJains and a mosque for Muslims. He defeated thePortuguese in 1618 and 1619.[9]
Virabhadra Nayaka (1629–1645) faced many troubles from the start, including competition from rival Jain chieftains of Malenad for the throne of Ikkeri and invasion by the Sultanate armies of Bijapur. Ikkeri was plundered by the Bijapur army during his time.
Shivappa Nayaka (1645–1660) is widely considered as the ablest and greatest of the Keladi rulers. He was the uncle of Virabhadra Nayaka. Shivappa deposed his nephew to gain the throne of Keladi. He was not only an able administrator; he also patronised literature and fine arts. His successful campaigns against the Bijapur sultans, theMysore kings, the Portuguese, and other Nayakas of the neighbouring territories east of theWestern Ghats helped expand the kingdom to its greatest extent, covering large areas of present-day Karnataka. He gave importance to agriculture and developed new schemes for collection of taxes and revenues which earned him much praise from later British officials. A statue of him and the palace built by him containing many artifacts of his times are reminders of the respect he has earned even from the present generation of people of the region. He destroyed the Portuguese political power in theKanara region by capturing all the Portuguese forts of the coastal region.[10]
Chikka Venkatappa Nayaka (1660–1662), ruled for a short span of time after Shivappa Nayaka.
Bhadrappa Nayaka (1662–1664), succeeded Chikka Venkatappa Nayaka. During his reign the rule of Vokkaligas came to an end and was replaced by the rule of Banajigas.[2]
Somashekara Nayaka I (1664–1672) The King who was once a good administrator, gave up his interest in administration after his association with a dancer named Kalavati. Bharame Mavuta, a relative of Kalavati slow poisoned the king which eventually led to his death.
Keladi Chennamma (1672–1697) She was an able ruler who some scholars claim was allied with theMarathaShivaji and later his sonSambhaji to defeat all rival claimants to the throne. She gave shelter to ChhatrapathiRajaram when he fled from theMughal army. Chennamma of Keladi is well remembered by local people through tales of her bravery.
Basavappa Nayaka (1697–1714) He was a brave ruler and was adopted by Rani Chennammaji from their relativeMarkappa Shetty of Bedanur[11]
Somashekara Nayaka II (1714–1739)
Kiriya Basavappa Nayaka (1739–1754)
Chenna Basappa Nayaka (1754–1757)
Somashekhar (1959 - 2015)
Queen Virammaji (1757–1763) was defeated by Hyder Ali who merged the Keladi kingdom with the Kingdom of Mysore. The queen was captured by Hyder Ali and was kept in confinement along with her son in the fort of Madugiri.[12] They were however rescued in 1767 whenPeshwaMadhavrao I defeated Hyder Ali in the battle of Madugiri. Later, they were sent toPune the capital of the Maratha Empire for protection. The current successor of the clan are living in Bangalore named Chaitra Arasar and Vasanth Kumar Arasar.[12]
For more than two hundred years the kingdom controlled the coastal and malnad regions of present-day Karnataka and fostered a rich tradition of trade with the English, the Portuguese, and the Dutch.[13] However, in the period of gloom brought about by the fall of the great Hindu empire, the Vijayanagar empire, constant wars—campaigns against local chieftains and theMysore Kingdom and the harassment of theMarathas finally drained the treasury and resulted in the end of the kingdom.
The Keladi Nayakas built some fine temples in Ikkeri and Keladi using a combination of lateKadamba,Hoysala,Vijayanagar, andDravida styles. The use of granite for their construction shows they simply followed the Vijayanagar model of architecture. The Aghoreshwara temple at Ikkeri and the Rameshwara temple at Keladi are the best examples of the Nayakas' art. Vijayanagar-style pillars with hippogryphs are common; calledyali columns (depiction of horses and lions as seen inHampi) is found here. These are pillars with lions, either with their forepaws raised or simply in a sitting position, and pillars with a mythical horse-like animal with front legs raised, balancing on its rear legs, and with an armed rider on its back which are worth seeing at Ikkeri. A roof sculpture depicting aGandaberunda, the mythical two-headed bird of Karnataka, is found in Keladi. Also, in the Rameshwara temple, a pillar sculpture shows Maratha Rajaram with Keladi Chennamma (history has it that Rajaram was protected by the queen when he was on the run from the Mughals).
The Keladi Nayakas wereVeerashaivas, patronized the religion, constructed numerous mutts and were responsible for the spread ofVeerashaivism to theMalenadu andCoastal Karnataka.[5][14][15][16][17] There were sixty four mutts in the district ofDakshina Kannada alone.[18] Nevertheless, they were tolerant towards followers of other religions and otherHindu denominations.The Keladi Nayakas invited Kazi Mahmoud who was a grandson of chief kazi of Adil Shahi kingdom of Bijapur to settle inBhatkal. The revenue of Tenginagundi village was given to Kazi Mahmoud. The kazi family of Bhatkal is popularly known as Temunday Family due to the ownership of lands in Tenginagundi. ManyNawayath Muslims were appointed in the administrative positions. The families of these noblesNawayath still use their surnames asIkkeri and are mainly settled in and aroundBhatkal. The Golden Kalasa on the dome ofBhatkal Jamia Masjid popularly known as 'Chinnada Palli' meaning 'Golden Mosque' is believed to be a generous gift from Keladi rulers.
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