Empire, Nayakas and Portuguese Guns: Tulunadu from 1345 to 1763

When the Alupas faded, Tulunadu did not become a kingdom of its own again. For about four centuries it was a province, first of a great empire and then of a regional kingdom, and it was also a prize for ships arriving from Portugal.

Vijayanagara takes the coast

Wikipedia’s article on the history of Mangalore says that by 1345 the rulers of Vijayanagara had brought the region under their control. They divided South Canara into two provinces, the Mangalore and Barkur rajyas.¹

A dynasty named for this land

In 1491, power at the empire’s centre passed to a new family, the Tuluva dynasty. Its founder, Tuluva Narasa Nayaka, was a warlord from the Tulu-speaking country to the west, and the family is named for that.² His son Krishnadevaraya reigned from 1509 to 1529 and brought the dynasty to its height. Achyuta Deva Raya followed him in 1529 and ruled until 1542, and the dynasty is dated to 1570.²

Some scholars and Bunt community traditions say the Tuluva kings were themselves of Bunt origin. We could not check that claim. What the sources do support is the name: the family came from the Tulu country.

Ships from Portugal

The Portuguese wanted the coast’s trade for themselves. In 1524, Wikipedia says, Vasco da Gama heard that Muslim merchants of Calicut had agents at Mangalore and Basrur, and ordered the rivers blockaded. In 1526 the Portuguese, under Lopo Vaz de Sampaio, took possession of Mangalore.¹

Rani Abbakka

The most famous answer from the coast came from Rani Abbakka, queen of Ullal. She belonged to the Chowta dynasty, a Tuluva family whose inheritance, like many here, ran through the mother’s line (aliyasantana). By Wikipedia’s account she refused the Portuguese their demanded tribute and defeated an attack led by Admiral Álvaro da Silveira in 1555. The Portuguese plundered Mangalore in 1557. In 1568 she scored a major victory, killing the general João Peixoto and capturing 70 soldiers. In the end, the article says, she lost the war and was imprisoned, and she is reported to have died fighting even from there.³ Her full story belongs in a page of its own.

The Nayakas of Keladi

The Nayakas of Keladi began inland. Under Sadashiva Nayaka (1530 to 1566) the coastal provinces came under their direct rule, and he moved the capital to Ikkeri, about 20 km from Keladi.⁴ Wikipedia’s history of Mangalore says that by about 1554 he had political authority over South Canara.¹

Venkatappa Nayaka (1582 to 1629) refused to pay tribute to the Vijayanagara rulers by 1613 and defeated the Portuguese in 1618 and 1619.⁴

The sharpest blow came in 1653, under Shivappa Nayaka. Keladi’s forces fought the Portuguese at the forts of Mangalore, Basrur, Barkur, Kundapura and Honnavar that year, and each battle is recorded on its own Wikipedia entry.⁴

Queen Keladi Chennamma (1672 to 1697) is remembered for sheltering the Maratha ruler Rajaram when he fled the Mughal army.⁴

The end of Keladi rule

The Keladi kingdom was ruled by Queen Veerammaji from 1757, until Hyder Ali of Mysore defeated her and annexed Keladi in 1763.⁴ Wikipedia’s article on Mangaluru says he conquered the city that year.¹ The next chapter, Mysore rule, begins there.

Related

• The Alupas, the dynasty whose rule this page follows
• Kadri Manjunatha, a temple of this period, with its own story

Sources & further reading

The books and articles behind the numbered notes on this page.

1. Wikipedia, “History of Mangalore” (accessed 7 October 2026): the 1345 takeover, the two rajyas, the 1524 blockade, the 1526 capture, Sadashiva Nayaka’s authority and Hyder Ali in 1763.
2. Wikipedia, “Tuluva dynasty” (accessed 7 October 2026): the dates, the founder and the name.
3. Wikipedia, “Abbakka Chowta” (accessed 7 October 2026): the Chowta dynasty, the battles of 1555 and 1568, and her end.
4. Wikipedia, “Nayakas of Keladi” (accessed 7 October 2026): Sadashiva, Venkatappa, Shivappa, Chennamma and Veerammaji.

All of these are Wikipedia articles, written from other sources. The research notes behind this page also mention a 1547 treaty, Abd al-Razzaq’s visit, a 1714 bombardment of Mangalore, an Ali Raja raid and Harihara I’s Barkur fort, and describe the Keladi forces’ 1653 campaign as having ended Portuguese political power on the coast. We could not confirm these in the sources we checked, so they are left out.