SANSKRIT IN THE REIGN OF NAYAK KINGS

          The Nayak kings of Vijayanagar, captured South India by defeating Pandyas and Cholas, ruled by possessing Tanjore as their capital, from 1535 to 1673 A.D., were zealous custodians of Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil and Hindu art and culture.  For nearly three centuries, in spite of occasional disturbances to the peace of country, these ruler provided a congenial climate for more than 1250 scholars to pour forth their literary output.

          The great Appayya Dikshita, author of more than 100 works flourished in the 16^th Century A.D.  Among the Nayak Kings, Raghunatha Nayak, a scholarly ruler of 1614 to 1633 A.D., who wrote many works on music and literature, his learned Queen Ramabhadramba, the authoress of Raghunathabhyudayam, Madhuravani, a court-poetess who rendered Andhra Ramayanam in Sanskrit verse, Govinda Dikshita the able minister and the author of SahithyaSudha and his son VenkataMakhin the musicologist, were notable literary personalities who formed a good set during the early part of the 16^th A.D.

          RatnaKheta Dikshita the author of an allegorical play titled Bhavana-Purushottamam and more than 75 works, and his son RajaChoodamani Dikshita who was the author of more than 25 works on different genre in Sanskrit, among them Mahakavyas like RukminiKalyanam, Raghava-Yadava-Pandaviyam, KavyaDarpanam, a play AnandaRaghavam were the prominent literary works.

          After their period, in the early 17^th A.D., Tirumala Nayaka became the successor of Nayak kings who ruled the South India through the capital city Madurai.  He has patronised many poets among them Mahakavi Nilakantha Dikshita was a praise worthy.  He was reputed as author of 17 works, notable among them are two major poems Siva-Lilarnavam and Gangavataranam, A campu titled Nilakantha-Vijaya-Campu, a play Nala-Caritam, devotional lyrics Aananda-Sagara-Stavam and Santi-Vilasam and Satiric poems titled Kali-Vidambanam and Sabha-Ranjana-Satakam.