Mayakonda, A Fortified Headquarters Town of the Chitradurga Nayakas

Abstract

The Chitradurga Nayakas ruled part of central Karnataka between the 1550s and 1779. When mapped by the British in the early 1800s, the former Chitradurga kingdom comprised eleven parganas or districts, each of which were administered by a headquarters town. Similar territorial divisions existed throughout the Early Modern kingdoms and chiefdoms of South India. Taking Mayakonda as an example, I trace its development and history as the fortified headquarters of a pargana on Chitradurga’s frontier. The results illustrate the contributions that such towns made to the overall success of small kingdoms like Chitradurga, as well as providing insight into some of the common objects of Early Modern wars in South India.