Achuthappa Nayak
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Achuthappa Nayak was the
Thanjavur Nayak 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 Empire, Vijayanagar ...
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.


Personal life

Achuthappa Nayak was the eldest son of
Sevappa Nayak Sevappa Nayak was a governor of Thanjavur under the Vijayanagar Empire who later proclaimed his independence and founded the Thanjavur Nayak kingdom. He reigned from 1532 to 1560. Ancestry and personal life Sevappa was the successor of his fat ...
, the Vijayanagar feudatory of Arcot who founded the Thanjavur Nayak dynasty. His principal queen was Murtimamba.


Names

Achuthappa Nayak was named by Sevappa Nayak after the
Vijayanagar 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 ...
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 ...
. During his lifetime, Achuthappa Nayak was also known as Chinna Seva Achyutha and Sevappa Achyutha.


Reign

Achuthappa ruled for a total of 54 years during which Thanjavur experienced architectural and cultural development. While the earlier part of his reign was peaceful, there was warfare with Muslim and Portuguese invaders towards the end. He maintained peaceful relations with the Vijayanagar kings and assisted them in their campaigns. Achuthappa was assisted by his minister, the legendary
Govinda Dikshitar Govinda Dikshita (Dikshitar) was the minister of three successive Nayaks of Thanjavur, who ruled the region of Thanjavur in South India between the 16th and 17th centuries CE. About the scholar Govinda Dikshita was a scholar, philosopher, stat ...
.


Battle of Vallamprakara

In 1579, the Madurai Nayak king Virappa Nayak declared his independence from Vijayanagar. Achuthappa fought Virappa along with the Vijayanagar Emperor
Venkata II Venkatapati Raya (or Venkata II, r. 1585–1614 CE) was the younger brother of Sriranga Deva Raya (also the youngest son of Tirumala Deva Raya ) and the ruler of Vijayanagara Empire with bases in Penukonda, Chandragiri and Vellore. His reign ...
at Vallamprakara (the present-day
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 ...
near
Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...
) and defeated him. This battle is not mentioned in any of Achuthappa's own inscriptions and the only references to this war are found in the Pudukkottai plates of Adivirarama Srivallabha and Varathungarama, both dated 1583. The validity of these plates have since been questioned as Venkatapathi did not ascend the throne till 1586.


Campaign against the Portuguese

The ''Sahityaratnakara'' describe Achuthappa's victory over Parasikas at
Nagapattinam Nagapattinam (''nākappaṭṭinam'', previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam District. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval ...
. Ramabadramba too refers to the campaign but names Achuthappa's enemies as "Parangi", the Tamil word used for colonial Europeans. During the early 17th century, the Portuguese were waging a concentrated campaign to conquer
Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th most ...
and Achuthappa's attack on Nagapattinam might have been launched to assist the king of Jaffna. To supplant the Portuguese, Achuthappa also maintained friendly relations with the Dutch towards the end of his reign.


Art and architecture

On the whole, however, the kingdom progressed during Achuthappa's reign. Achuthappa built the Thiraikattuvar Mandapam in the Vilanagar temple in 1608 and made generous land grants to the Margasahayeshwara Temple at Muvalur near
Mayiladuthurai Mayiladuthurai (formerly known as Mayavaram or Mayuram) is a town and district headquarter of Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located at a distance of from the state capital, Chennai. Mayiladuthurai was ruled by Mediev ...
, Thirumulasthana Temple at
Chidambaram Chidambaram is a town and municipality in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Chidambaram taluk. The town is believed to be of si ...
and Panaipakkam Temple. The ''Sangitha Sudha'' says that Achuthappa Nayak was an ardent devotee of the Hindu god
Ranganatha Ranganatha, also known as Ranganathar, Rangan, Aranganathar, Sri Ranga, and Thenarangathan, is a Hindu deity with his origin in South India, serving as the chief deity of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam. The deity is a resting form of ...
right from his boyhood. Achuthappa constructed the golden ''vimana'' and ''gopuras'' around the
Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ranganatha (a form of Vishnu), located in Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. Constructed in the Hindu architectural style, the temple is glorified by Alvars in their Naala ...
and constructed the flight of steps leading to the
Cauvery The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri (hill), Karnataka, Brahmagiri range in th ...
. He constructed ''Pushyamantapas'' to feed poor
Brahmins Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru o ...
in the towns of
Mayiladuthurai Mayiladuthurai (formerly known as Mayavaram or Mayuram) is a town and district headquarter of Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located at a distance of from the state capital, Chennai. Mayiladuthurai was ruled by Mediev ...
,
Thiruvidaimarudur Thiruvidaimarudur (also spelt as Thiruvidaimaradur or Tiruvidaimarudur) is a panchayat town in Thanjavur district, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is notable for its Mahalingeshwarar Temple, a Hindu shrine for Lord Shiva. Geogra ...
,
Kumbakonam Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum) or Kudanthai is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the headq ...
and Tiruvadi. He also constructed a dam across the Cauvery near the town of Tiruvadi in order to facilitate irrigation 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 ...
'' all over the kingdom. Literature flourished during his reign. The works ''Sahityaratnakara'' and ''Raghunathabyudayam'' give a detailed picture of life in the Thanjavur Nayak kingdom. They describe the whole kingdom as a "paddy forest" (''Salivanam'').


Later life

According to sources, Achuthappa abdicated following the death of the Vijayanagar Emperor Venkatapathi in 1614 and anointed his son
Raghunatha Nayak Raghunatha Nayak was the most powerful king of the Thanjavur Nayak Dynasty. He was the third ruler of Thanjavur, southern India, from the Nayak dynasty. He ruled from 1600 to 1634 and is noted for the attainments of Thanjavur in literature, art, ...
as the next ruler. According to the ''Sahityaratnakara'', Achuthappa retired to Srirangam upon abdication spending the rest of his life discoursing with Hindu scholars. The ''Raghunathabyudayam'' says that Raghunatha Nayak approached Achuthappa to seek his blessings after the
Battle of Toppur The Battle of Toppur was one of the largest battles in the history of India. In this battle, cannons were used at a large scale for the first time in South India. It caused complete destruction of the already declining Vijayanagara Empire. It was ...
in 1617. It is assumed that Achuthappa must have died after that date.


References

* {{authority control Asian kings Thanjavur Maratha kingdom