The Keladi Nayakas began as subordinate chieftains under the Vijayanagara Empire before asserting full independence following the catastrophic Battle of Talikota in 1565, which effectively shattered Vijayanagara power. Their subsequent two centuries of autonomous rule over the Malnad region produced a long series of small gold fanams whose attribution and sequencing within the dynasty remains only partially resolved — Mitchiner's numbering consolidates types that likely span multiple rulers across a 240-year window.
The Keladi Nayakas began as subordinate chieftains under the Vijayanagara Empire before asserting full independence following the catastrophic Battle of Talikota in 1565, which effectively shattered Vijayanagara power. Their subsequent two centuries of autonomous rule over the Malnad region produced a long series of small gold fanams whose attribution and sequencing within the dynasty remains only partially resolved — Mitchiner's numbering consolidates types that likely span multiple rulers across a 240-year window.