Raghunatha Nayak was the most powerful king of the Thanjavur Nayak Dynasty.
28 Facts About Raghunatha Nayak
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Raghunatha Nayak was the third ruler of Thanjavur, southern India, from the Nayak dynasty.
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Raghunatha Nayak ruled from 1600 to 1634 and is noted for the attainments of Thanjavur in literature, art, and Carnatic music.
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Raghunatha Nayak was the eldest son of Achuthappa Nayak and was born after intense penance by his father.
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Raghunatha Nayak had multiple queens, chiefly Kalavati referred to in the Raghunathabhyudayam as Pattampurani.
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Ramabhadramba, who wrote a history of the Thanjavur Raghunatha Nayak dynasty, was one of his concubines.
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Raghunatha Nayak ascended the throne in 1600, ruled with his father from 1600 to 1614, and as sole monarch from 1614 to 1634.
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Raghunatha Nayak later constructed a pillar of victory and took possession of Bhuvanagiri near Chidambaram.
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Raghunatha Nayak is described as a highwayman who attacked passers-by and stole their belongings.
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Raghunatha Nayak's campaign was a punitive expedition to put an end to his activities.
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Raghunatha Nayak was captured and imprisoned along with his family.
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The Thanjavur Raghunatha Nayak forces were victorious in evicting the Portuguese from Jaffna.
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On his return to India, Raghunatha Nayak personally led an army against Jaggaraya, who had usurped the throne of Vijayanagar after killing Sriranga II.
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Raghunatha Nayak's army consisted of strong infantry and cavalry divisions, elephant corps, and armed soldiers.
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Raghunatha Nayak was completely victorious; Jaggaraya was captured and killed, and Rama Deva Raya was placed on the throne.
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Raghunatha Nayak, himself, sent five armies between 1619 and 1621 to conquer Jaffna, but they failed.
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The Raghunatha Nayak himself composed a number of Yakshaganas and was a good veena player.
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Raghunatha Nayak constructed the Ramaswamy Temple in Kumbakonam, the popular Saraswathi Mahal Library in Thanjavur and the gopura of the Adi Kumbeswarar Temple in Kumbakonam.
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Raghunatha Nayak expanded the Uppiliappan Temple and the Rajagopalaswamy Temple, Mannargudi.
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Raghunatha Nayak wrote the Sanskrit plays Sangita Sudha and Bharatha Sudha.
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Raghunatha Nayak constructed several agraharas and gave costly gifts to poor Brahmins and the disabled.
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Raghunatha Nayak gave lavish gifts to the Madhva pontiff, Vijayendra Tirtha, and the Sri Mutt in Kumbakonam.
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Raghunatha Nayak maintained cordial relations with the Danes and the English.
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Raghunatha Nayak received the visitors warmly and granted them permits to trade freely in Karaikal.
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However, Raghunatha Nayak later withdrew his concessions and demanded an annual rent of 7,000 riyals.
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Nevertheless, Johnson rejected the Raghunatha Nayak's offer and returned to England, where his activities were severely censured.
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Raghunatha Nayak's empire extended far beyond the confines of Thanjavur district.
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Raghunatha Nayak's inscriptions have been found in Thirukkoshtiyur in Ramanathapuram district, Lalgudi in Tiruchirappalli district, Govindavadi in Kanchipuram district, and Nedugunram and Narattampoondi in Vellore district.