Nayak

From Freepedia

For other uses of "Nayak", see Nayak (disambiguation)

A Nayak (also Nayaka, Nayaker or Naicker) is the title of a government official, equivalent to a provincial governor or viceroy, in the Telugu kingdoms of southern India, including the Kakatiya kingdom of Warangal (11th-14th centuries) and the Vijayanagara kingdom (14th-16th centuries). The Nayak system was dominant from the fifteenth to the early seventeenth century. The Nayaks were key state administrators, functionaries, and revenue collectors and as such were liable to be transferred. Although they played a very important administrative role, there are no detailed studies on them except those on some big families like Kanaka Nayaka(Kanakadasa), Madhakari Nayaka, D.K.Naiker, Periyar etc. After the collapse of the Vijayanagara Kingdom in the 16th century, Nayaks of some of the kingdom's former provinces became de facto independent rulers, and established hereditary dynasties. Nayaks ruled Madurai, Thanjavur, Chittradurga, and Keladi until the 18th century.