The Nayak kingdoms emerged in South India during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, particularly after the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire. The most important Nayak states were those of Madurai, Thanjavur, Gingee and Keladi. They played a significant role in the political, economic, social and cultural history of South India between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. The Nayak system developed under the Vijayanagara Empire. Vijayanagara rulers appointed military governors called Nayaks or Nayakas to administer different regions. These governors collected revenue, maintained armies and protected territories. After the defeat of Vijayanagara at the Battle of Talikota in 1565, many Nayaks gradually became independent rulers. Among them, the Nayaks of Madurai and Thanjavur became particularly powerful. The Madurai Nayak kingdom was founded by Visvanatha Nayak in the sixteenth century. He reorganised the administration with the help of his minister Ariyanatha Mudali. One of the important features of their administration was the Palayakkarar or Poligar system. The kingdom was divided into numerous military territories known as palayams, which were governed