-Studies in Tuḷuva history and culture, Author – Professor P. Gururaja Bhatt, M.A., B.T., Ph.D.
During the closing years of the Vijayanagara imperial power, there merged on the borders of the Kanara districts above the Ghats, a Viraśaiva agriculturist family of Keladi which gradually established its rule over a large region. Chaudappa Gauda (A.D.1500 – A.D. 1504) of this family was appointed by the then Vijayanagara king as the chief of that area with the title of Nāyaka. His successor was Sadāśiva Nāyaka (A.D. 1544-A.D. 1565). With the accession of the ruler, the Nāyakas of Ikkēri emerged from a period of comparative obscurityity to one of the political limelight. Sadāśiva Nāyaka is said to have ruled over Araga and Bārakūru and Mangalūru (Tuḷu-rājya). He was a great warrior and rendered valuable military service to the Vijayanagara king, Sadāśivarāya. One of the noted expeditions he led on behalf of the Vijayanagara king was to the south as far as Kāsaragod, where he planted a pillar of victory to commemorate his conquest. Subsequently, he was made the ruler of this territory also which he governed efficiently till about A.D. 1565. The construction of the Kāsaragod fort is, in fact, attributed to this Ikkēri ruler. The rulers of this family continued to be the feudatories of Vijayanagara until Venkatappa Nāyaka I became independent about A.D. 1613. Venkațappa Nāyaka I, who ruled from A.D. 1586 to A.D. 1629, was a very powerful king and he has” been described in the epigraphs as a diamond elephant-goad to the lust elephants, the group of the bounding Tuḷuva-rājas”. The Tuḷuva rulers were none other than the rulers of Gērusoppe, Kārakaļa and Ullala.
Venkatappa Nayaka’s interference in the affairs of Tuḷuva was not without good reason. Firstly, the chiefs of Gērusoppe and Bhaṭakala acknowledged the overlordship of Adil Shah of Bijapur and the territory assigned to his family by Vijayanagara was slipping away from him in this manner; he, therefore, led an attack on Gērusoppe in which the queen was defeated and killed. Secondly, he wanted to stem the advance of the Portuguese in Tuluva, who had, by this time, gained considerable territory on the west coast of India and had, it seems, established a factory at Mangalore with the help of Bangarāja. With this end in view, therefore, Venkatappa Nāyaka readily responded when the queen of Ullāḷa, the divorced wife of Bangarāja, requested him for aid against her husband and the Portuguese. It is stated that Venkatappa Nāyaka built Viraśaiva mathas at Bārakūru, Bennevalli, Sāgara, Bōlūru, Kodeyala, etc. The construction of the forts of Bārakūru, Kallianapura, Kandalūru and Mallikārjunagiri is ascribed to him.
The letters of Della Valle, an Italian traveller, who visited the west coast of India about A.D. 1623 and accompanied an embassy which went from Goa to Ikhëri, throw some interesting light on the condition of the region in general and the relations between the Ikkēri family and the minor chiefs of Tuļuva in particular. Della Valle mentions that the object of the embassy was to secure the restoration of the Banghel (Banga) chief, an ally of the Portuguese, who, defeated and deposed by Venkatappa Nāyaka, had fled to ‘Cassegode’ (Kāsaragöd), where there was another minor but free prince. The mission failed owing to the non-acceptance of terms and the embassy withdrew. Della Valle, who later visited Ullāla, gives an account of the quarrel between the queen and her divorced husband, Bangarāja, which ended in the queen calling on the aid of Venkatappa Nāyaka and obtaining decisive victory over Bangarāja and the Portuguese governor of Mangalore.
On some of the roads of Tuluva, this foreigner travelled alone, accompanied only by his horse-keeper and servant; and he says he did this fearlessly, as the highways in Venkatappa Nāyaka’s dominions were very secure. Another observation which he makes is that he met the Queen of Mannel who was walking out to inspect a new channel she had dug and that she did not look like a queen. But, he says she showed her quality by her speech.
Verhatappa Nayaka was succeeded by his grandson, Virabhadra Nāyaka (A.D. 1629-A.D. 1645), whose reign was full of political troubles In A.D. 1631, the Portuguese concluded a treaty with this ruler, the terms of which were more or less of a compromising nature. He changed the capital from Ikkēri to Bidanuru in A.D. 1639. The Nāyaka, who had no issue, abdicated in favour of his uncle, Sivappa Nāyaka. Sivappa Nāyaka, who ruled from A.D. 1645 to A.D. 1660, was the most important Ikkēri ruler after Venkatappa Nāyaka. During Sivappa Nāyaka reign, the indecisive interference of Venkațappa Nāyaka in the affair of Tuluva gave place to a systematic conquest of the district. He strove incessantly and strengthened his rule in the southern parts of the region where he is known as the builder of a series of strong forts on the coast of Kāsaragod taluk, the most important of them being those of Chandragiri and Bēkal. Even before occupying the throne, he had subdued Bhairarasa Odeya of Kārakala, who was the strongest among the contemporary local rulers. He continued the same policy after ascending the throne and extended his dominions as far as Nilēśvara. This territory of Nilēśvara, however, was not annexed until A.D. 1737, during the reign of Sõma-śēkhara Nāyaka II (A.D.1714-A.D. 1739), when the fort of Hosadurga was built and the Rāja of Nīlēśvara was compelled to submit after a struggle of twelve years in which both the English and the French took part. During the reign of ſivappa Nāyaka, the relations between Bidanūru and the Portuguese were again strained mainly owing to the unwise policy of the latter. There were a series of battles between the two in A.D.1652 and A.D.1653, in which the Portuguese lost all their strongholds to Sivappa Nāyaka. The Portuguese were completely crippled and Śivappa Nāyaka became the undisputed master of the coast. He even issued gold coins bearing the figures of Siva and Pārapati on the obverse and the legend of Sri Sadāśiva in Nāgari on the reverse. The Portuguese, however, mustered power again during the reign of Sõmaśēkhara Nāyaka I (A.D. 1663-A.D. 1671), who, wishing to keep friendly relations with them, made new overtures to them. A treaty was concluded between the two parties in A.D.1671, according to which the Portuguese were to be given sites at Honnāvara, Mangalore and Barcelore (Basarūru) for building factories with single walls and without any fortifications or creations of oil mills. Their boats were to be given free access to the ports of the kingdom. The Portuguese were, however, not to indulge themselves in conversion of the local people. After this treaty, the relations between Bidanūru and the Portuguese continued to be cordial.
In accordance with the treaty of A.D. 1678 during the reign of Channammāji (A D.1677-A.D.1697), the widow of Sõmaśēkhara Näyaka, the Portuguese were inter alia authorised to erect churches at ‘Mirzeo, Chandor, Bhatkal and Kalyāna. As a result of this treaty, the Portuguese seem to have driven out the Arabs. The latter, who resented this, burnt Mangalūru and Basarūru and set sail after gathering a large booty. Immediately after the death of Sõmaśēkhara Nāyaka, the Tuļuva feudatories seemed to have revolted, but they were soon put down by Channamāji.
During the reign of Basavappa Nāyaka I (A.D. 1697-A.D. 1714), the Bidanüru-Portuguese relations again became strained. The Portuguese appear to have been in arrears of payment for the rice taken by them from Kanara. The Arab-Portuguese trade jealousies rendered the situation more complicated. There were skirmishes between the Portuguese and the forces of Bidanūru in A.D.1704 and A.D.1707. At last, there took place a regular battle in A.D.1713–1714, in the course of which, a squadron sent from Goa, captured the forts at Basarūru and Kalliānpura and destroyed several ships and a good deal of merchandise. They also battered Mangalore, Kumța, Gökarna and Mizreo and spread terror in the area. The Nāyaka of Bidanūru ultimately came to terms and entered into a treaty in A D.1714 under which he promised not to allow the Arab ships to visit the Kanara ports. Basavappa Nāyaka II ruled from A.D. 1739 to A.D. 1754. The fort of Dariyabādgad near Malpe and Manõhargad at Kāpu and those of Mallāru, Tōnse, and Kundapur and the palace at Bennegere are said to be his constructions. When the queen, Virammāji (A.D. 1757-A.D. 1763), was looking after the administration of the kingdom, Alirāja of Cannanore, in alliance with the Marāta followers of Angria, organised an expedition to ravage the coast of Kanara. They plundered, among other places, Mañjēśvara and led the expedition further north to Kollūru where they are said to have secured an enormous booty at the temple of Mūkāṁbikā. It was in the History of Virammāji that the power of the rulers of Bidanūru came to its end Haidar Ali, taking advantage of the internal feuds at Bidanūru annexed its territory in A. D. 1763. About A.D. 1673, an English traveller, Dr Fryer, visited the coast of Kanara. While he was struck by the number of Christian converts, he says that those “who had not been converted were marvellously conversant with the devil ”. The allusion here, perhaps, is to the Bhūta worship in the region. He also observes that the people of Kanara had good laws and obeyed them well and that they travelled without guides along broad roads, not along bye-paths as in Malabar. In connection with the roads in Tuļuva, the words of Della Valle may also be remembered here; he says that after reaching the town of Basarūru, he found a fair, long, broad and straight street. Captain Hamilton, who visited Kanara in A.D. 1718, mentions that the Dutch had by that time established a factory at Barcelore (Basarūru) and that the Portuguese used to send rice from that place to Muscat and bring back horses, dates and pearls.