Sevappa Nayak was a governor of Thanjavur under the

Vijayanagar Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...

who later proclaimed his independence and founded the

Thanjavur Nayak kingdom The Thanjavur Nayak kingdom or Thanjavur Nayak dynasty were the rulers of Thanjavur in the 15th and 17th centuries. The Nayaks of the Balija social group, were originally appointed as provincial governors by the Vijayanagara Emperor in the 15th ...

. He reigned from 1532 to 1560.

Ancestry and personal life

Sevappa was the successor of his father was a Thimappa Nayak (Or) called Thimmabuban. The family hailed from Nedungundram near

Thiruvannamalai Tiruvannamalai (Tamil: ''Tiruvaṇṇāmalai'' IPA: , otherwise spelt ''Thiruvannamalai''; ''Trinomali'' or ''Trinomalee'' on British records) is a city, a spiritual, cultural, economic hub and also the administrative headquarters of Tiruvanna ...

. Sevappa is also Worked as to be a Vaasal Karar of the Vijayanagar Emperor,

Achyuta Deva Raya Achyuta Deva Raya (died 1542 CE) was a ruler of a Vijayanagara Empire of South India. He was the younger brother of Krishna Deva Raya, whom he succeeded in 1529. During his reign, Fernao Nuniz a Portuguese traveller, chronicler and horse t ...

, the younger brother of

Krishnadeva Raya Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 – 17 October 1529) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Empire, reigning from 1509 to 1529. He was the third monarch of the Tuluva dynasty, and is considered to be one of the ...

for the Telugu histories ''Tanjavuri Andhra Rajula Charitramu'' and ''Tanjavuri Vari Charitram'' claim that Sevappa got Thanjavur as ''stri-dana''or

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

. However, this opinion is not universally held by scholars.

Campaigns

Records indicate that Sevappa was a loyal vassal of the Vijayanagar kings and assisted them in their campaigns. Sevappa was the honorary "betel-bearer" (''Adappam'' in Tamil and ''Tambula Karandavahin'' in Sanskrit) of Achyuta Deva Raya.

Reign

Sevappa's epigraphs are very few and there exist scarcely any record of his reign or campaigns outside the Chola country. One of the earliest events of his reign was the transfer for

Tiruchirappalli Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...

to the Madurai Nayak kingdom in exchange for

Vallam Vallam is a panchayat town in the Thanjavur taluk of Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Demographics 2011 Indian census, Vallam has a population of 14,495. Males constituted 48% and females 52%. Vallam has an average liter ...

. When the Vijayanagar general Ramaraja Vithala stationed himself and his army in Tiruchirappalli during his wars against the king of Tiruvadi and the

Paravas Paravar (also known as Bharathar or Bharathakula and sometimes colloquially as 'Fernando') is a Tamil maritime community, mainly living in the state of Tamil Nadu in India and in Sri Lanka. Pandyas aka Bharathavars are the Ancient Sea Farers and ...

of the south in 1545, Sevappa provided him with men and support.

Grants and public works

Sevappa constructed a number of Hindu temples, repaired tanks and endowed ''

agraharas An ''Agraharam'' or ''Agrahara'' was a grant of land and royal income from it, typically by a king or a noble family in India, for religious purposes, particularly to Brahmins to maintain temples in that land or a pilgrimage site and to susta ...

''. Sevappa repaired the outer walls of the

Brihadeeswarar Temple Brihadishvara Temple, called Rajarajesvaram () by its builder, and known locally as ''Thanjai Periya Kovil'' ("Thanjavur Big Temple") and ''Peruvudaiyar Kovil'', is a Shaivite Hindu temple built in a Chola architectural style located on the ...

in Thanjavur and ensured regular supply of water to the neighbouring Sivaganga Tank (now within the premises of the Sivaganga Park). In 1572, Sevappa Nayak constructed the ''gopura''of the

Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram Thillai Nataraja Temple, also referred as the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Nataraja, the form of Shiva as the lord of dance. This temple is located in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. This temple has ancient roots ...

and embellished the temples at Thirumala and

Srisailam Srisailam is a census town in Nandyal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Srisailam mandal in Atmakur revenue division. It is located about from the district headquarters Nandyal, from Kurnool, an ...

with gold. He also granted seven ''velis'' of land to the Samusarupalli mosque near

Nanjikottai Nanjikottai is a panchayat town in Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a part of the Thanjavur urban agglomeration. Demographics India census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calcula ...

in 1550 and a village to the

Madhva Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the '' Dvaita'' (dualism) sch ...

saint

Vijayendra Tirtha Vijayīndra Tīrtha ''(also known as Vijayendra Tīrtha)'' (1514 - 1595) was a Dvaita philosopher and dialectician. A prolific writer and an unrelenting polemicist, he is said to have authored 104 treatises expounding the principles of Dvaita ...

in 1574. In 1579, he grant vast lands to the Buddhist temple at Thiruvilandurai. Sevappa also patronized Portuguese merchants. A biography of Francis Xavier from Nagapattinam says that the Portuguese "were greatly favoured by the lord of the country who is a very powerful captain of the king of Bisnaga".

Later life

In his later days, Sevappa appointed his son

Achuthappa Nayak Achuthappa Nayak was the Thanjavur Nayak king who ruled from 1560 to 1614. From 1560 to 1580, he was co-monarch along with his father and from 1580 to 1614, he ruled on his own. His reign is generally regarded as one of peace and stability. Pe ...

as co-ruler. In about 1563, Sevappa handed over authority in administrative matters to him and concentrated on acts of charity. Sevappa died in 1580 and was succeeded by Achuthappa.

References

* {{end Vijayanagara Empire 1580 deaths Year of birth unknown