The Nayak rulers were originally the provincial governors or feudatories under the Vijayanagar emperors. They ruled in Tamil Nadu from the 14th to the 17th centuries A.D.

After the decline of the Vijayanagar power, the Nayaks became the independent rulers of the territories. The most important Nayak dynasties included the Gingi, Vellore, Tanjavur and Madurai in Tamil Nadu. During the Nayaka rule, the kings built many forts to defend themselves from the Muslims and the European powers, the Portuguese, Dutch, French, Danish and English, who began to interfere in the dynastic politics of Tamil Nadu and other parts of South India.

The two main Nayak forts in Tanjavur include the smaller fort called the `Sivaganga Little Fort`, which surrounds the Brihadishvara temple and the bigger fort encloses the old city of Tanjavur. The Sivaganga little Fort is nicely safeguarded till today but the bigger fort of Tanjavur has gone in ruins that can be seen at specific spots in the border of the city.

There is a large fort at Vellore, which is made of huge granite blocks and is surrounded by a moat. This 16th century fort was built by Chinna Bommi Nayak. There is a temple named `Jalakanteshvara` can be seen within this fort, which with its exquisite carvings and pavilions of the late Vijayanagar style attracts a lot of people. A small museum can also be found within the fort.

The Gingi fort is much larger than the Vellore fort. It is a hill fort, which encircles three large hills. The fort complex consists of a granary, magazine room, elephant and horse stables, tanks, temples and mosque. During recent years, many artifacts of the Gingi nayaks were found out from the fort complex by the archaeologists.