The
Nayaks of Gingee (Senji) were rulers of the
Gingee principality of
Tamil Nadu between 16th to 18th century CE. They were subordinates of the imperial
Vijayanagara emperors, and were appointed as provincial governors by the
Vijayanagar Emperor who divided the Tamil country into three Nayakships viz.,
Madurai,
Tanjore and
Gingee. Later, after the fall of the Vijayanagara's Tuluva dynasty, the Gingee rulers declared independence. While they ruled independently, they were sometimes at war with the
Tanjore neighbors and the
Vijayanagara overlords later based in
Vellore and
Chandragiri.