Person

Vishwanatha Nayak

r. c. 1529–1564 · 16th century

Vishwanatha Nayak was the founder of the Madurai Nayak dynasty. Son of the Vijayanagara general Nagama Nayak, he was appointed governor of Madurai by the Vijayanagara Empire around 1529 after a rebellion there, and organised the region into palayams, military fiefs held by local chiefs, a system that lasted for centuries.

Vishwanatha Nayak — Image: Avionsuresh · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Madurai Nayak dynasty

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Vishwanatha Nayak. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vishwanatha-nayak
MLA: “Vishwanatha Nayak.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vishwanatha-nayak. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Vishwanatha Nayak.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vishwanatha-nayak.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Vishwanatha Nayak’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vishwanatha-nayak (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻