kingdom · South Asia

Chitradurga Nayakas

1588 CE – 1779 CE (approx.) · capital Chitradurga

Poligar chiefs who ruled the fortress of Chitradurga in Karnataka, remembered for the legend of Onake Obavva.

Origins

The Nayakas of Chitradurga were Beda chiefs who served the Vijayanagara Empire as local military governors. After Vijayanagara's defeat in 1565 they gained autonomy, and by the 1580s they ruled from the hill fortress of Chitradurga, whose seven concentric walls were extended by successive rulers.

Rule and society

The Nayakas, also called Palegars, ruled a dry upland territory of central Karnataka through warrior clans and revenue from farming and herding. They made shifting alliances with the Keladi Nayaka kingdom, the Kingdom of Mysore, the Mughals and the Marathas. Madakari Nayaka V, the last ruler, is a folk hero in Karnataka.

Decline and legacy

Hyder Ali of the Kingdom of Mysore besieged Chitradurga, and the fort fell in 1779 after a long resistance; Madakari Nayaka died in captivity. Legend says Onake Obavva, a guard's wife, killed many attackers with a pestle in an earlier siege.

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Chitradurga Nayakas. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chitradurga-nayakas
MLA
“Chitradurga Nayakas.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chitradurga-nayakas. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Chitradurga Nayakas.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chitradurga-nayakas.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Chitradurga Nayakas’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chitradurga-nayakas (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻