Chapter 5 : The Nayakas of Keladi

Nayakas of Keladi, also known as Nayakas of Bednore and Kings of Ikkeri (1499–1763), were
based from Keladi in Shimoga district, Karnataka, India. After the crushing defeat of the mighty
Vijayanagara empire in the Battle of Talikota in 1565, a family of feudatories from Keladi—the
Keladi Nayakas or Ikkeri Nayakas—rose from the ashes of the empire as a new power centre and
established a kingdom which, at its peak, extended from northern Karnataka’s Gangavati river to
Kerala’s Kasargod district in the south.
Their rule spanned the coastal districts of Karwar, Mangaluru, the entire Shivamogga region and
parts of Hassan, Dharwar, Chitradurga and Tumakuru districts of present-day Karnataka.The
Keladi nayaks extended control over territories from Goa in the North to Cannanore in the South.
Hassan and Shimoga were also part of their kingdom.
Brief background 1499-1763
• Based on the contemporary literary sources, their lineage can be traced to Chaudappa—
credited with founding the dynasty in 1499. From humble beginnings as rich farmers, they
became the vassals of the Vijayanagara empire, earning the title of Nayakas, and ruled the
region till Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore, conquered the region in 1763, dethroning
Virammaji, the last queen of Keladi.

Founder Chaudappa -1499

• Chaudappa Nayaka, originally Chauda Gowda, (1499–1530), was from a village called
Pallibailu near Keladi.
• He was the son of couple Basavappa and Basavamambe, who were into farming.
• He was the earliest chieftain to rule the area surrounding Shimoga, rose through self
capability and acumen and was a feudatory of Vijayanagara Empire
• The Nayakas remained loyal to the Vijayanagara empire even after it was dismantled, and
in one instance even rescued a depleted Sriranga III, the fugitive Vijayanagara emperor, by
gifting Belur to him.
• During their reign, the Nayakas had to constantly ward off attacks from the Adilshahis in
the north, Mysore in the south and even the Marathas

Famous Rulers

Hiriya Venkatappa Nayaka (1586–1629)

• Hiriya Venkatappa Nayaka (1586–1629) is considered by scholars as ablest monarch of the
clan. He completely freed himself from the overlordship of the relocated Vijayanagar rulers
of Penugonda. Italian traveller Pietro 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 the western Ghats of
present-day Karnataka. He is also known to have defeated the Adilshahis of Bijapur in
Hanagal. Though a Virashaiva by faith, he built many temples for Vaishnavas and Jains and
a mosque for Muslims. He defeated the Portuguese in 1618 and 1619.
Shivappa Nayaka (1645–1660)
• 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.
• His successful campaigns against the Bijapur sultans, the Mysore kings, the Portuguese,
and other Nayakas of the neighbouring territories east of the Western Ghats helped expand
the kingdom to its greatest extent, covering large areas of present-day Karnataka. He
destroyed the Portuguese political power in the Kanara region by capturing all the
Portuguese forts of the coastal region
Shivappa Nayaka Shistu
 He was an able administrator; He gave importance to agriculture and developed new
schemes for collection of taxes and revenues which earned him much praise from later
British officials.Shivappa Nayaka was popular for his revenue reforms known as “Shivappa
Nayaka’s Shistu” . It has been compared to Akbar’s revenue settlement

Features of Shivappa Nayaka’s Shistu

The keladi nayakas classified the land into five divisions on the basis of fertility of the soil. They
were as follows;
• Uttaman or the best type of land consisting of Black soil
• Madhyaman consisting of mixed soil
• Khamoshtam – dark sand soil
• Adhama –soil devoid of water
• Ahamadhaman- dry land
The land revenue was calculated on the basis of average yield for the last 12 years after
subtracting the cost involved for cultivation.One third of the produce was considered as the share
of the government.
• In every village a piece of each kind of land was cultivated by way of experiment and the
yield was ascertained for fixing the rate. Based on this Shivappa nayaka estimated the
rent or shist for all the five types of land with two ranges – minimum and maximum rent.
This practice continued till 1700. This revenue settlement was later praised by British
officials like Francis Buchanan and Rice. Keladi nayaks showed great attention toward
their agricultural production as well by providing several beneficiary facilities.
• Loans were granted for cultivators to enhance the land under cultivation, which in turn
increased the land revenue.
• Waste lands were brought under cultivation during this period in large quantities.
• The keladi nayakas had issued coins such as varaha, Honnnu, Dharana, Hana, Mupaga ,
Bele and Kasu.

Other sources of revenue for the state

o Custom duties
o judicial fines
o taxes on forest produce
o professional tax for fishing, hunting, etc,
o Fairs, processions and temple festivals were also taxed.
o The revenue thus collected was used for royal household, the army, religious grants and
charities by the state government

Other achievements of Shivappa Nayaka

He was not only an able administrator; he also patronised literature and fine arts. His successful
campaigns against the Bijapur sultans, the Mysore kings, the Portuguese, and other Nayakas of
the neighbouring territories east of the western ghats helped expand the kingdom to its greatest
extent, covering large areas of present-day Karnataka. He destroyed the Portuguese political
power in the Kanara region by capturing all the Portuguese forts of the coastal region.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.The Nayakas
managed to consolidate their conquests under able rulers such as Sadashiva Nayaka, Venkatappa
Nayaka and Shivappa Nayaka. They played a crucial role in shaping the political, cultural and
economic history of the Deccan for more than 200 years.

Keladi Chennamma (1672–1697)

Chennammaji—one of the two woman rulers amongst the Nayakas—is credited with “rendering
noble service during the most critical occasion in the life of Maratha state" by successfully
fighting the Mughal forces led by Aurangzeb in the late 17th century.She allied with the Maratha
Shivaji and later his son Sambhaji to defeat all rival claimants to the throne. She also gave shelter
to Chhatrapathi Rajaram when he fled from the Mughal army. Chennamma of Keladi is well
remembered by local people through tales of her bravery. Pietro Della Valle, an Italian traveller
who visited during the rule of Venkatappa Nayaka in 1623, wrote eloquently of the many gates
and the concentric nature of Ikkeri fortifications.

Promoted Religious tolerance

The Keladi Nayakas were Lingayats, patronized the religion. constructed numerous mutts and
were responsible for the spread of Lingayatism to the Malenadu and Coastal Karnataka.There
were sixty four mutts in the district of Dakshina Kannada alone.They were also tolerant towards
followers of other religions and other Hindu denominations.

Significance
Located in the hilly regions of the Western Ghats, with an abundance of fertile land and easy
access to the coast, the Nayakas controlled the trade of rice, pepper, areca nut, etc., becoming the
most important ally of the colonial mercantile forces of the British, Portuguese and Dutch in the
trade across the Arabian sea. Popular as efficient administrators, they patronized all religions and
made grants to temples, mosques and mathas across the kingdom. Intriguingly, they shifted
capitals twice, first from Keladi to Ikkeri in 1511-12 and then from Ikkeri to Bidnur (present-day
Nagara) in 1639

Decline
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. This success helped Haider to reach greater height in
politics. They were however rescued in 1767 when Madhavrao I of the Maratha Empire defeated
Hyder Ali in the battle of Madugiri. Later, they were sent to Pune the capital of the Maratha
Empire for protection

Conclusion

The Keladi Samsthana, founded by Chaudappa (A.D. 1499-1530), developed by Venkatappa,

Sivappa, Chennammaji and others, met the tragic end in 1763. Alexander Hamilton famously
wrote of his visit in the late 17th century: “The subjects of this country observe the law so well,
that robbery or murder are hardly heard of among them."