Under the guise of guardianship, they stripped the young king of his power and freedom, banishing or imprisoning loyalists who posed a threat to their authority.
Joining forces with Linganna, a general accused of selling out to the Bijapur Sultanate while staging a fake campaign, they formed a powerful triumvirate.
Chokkanatha Nayak secretly contacted his exiled allies and, with their assistance, launched a surprise attack within the palace, capturing the conspirators.
[6][1][2][3][7][8][9][10][11] The Siege of Trichinopoly intensified as the besieging forces employed both military pressure and bribery to weaken Chokkanatha Nayak’s position.
Within his own camp, a member of the king’s family, a kinsman of a former minister, seized the moment to pursue personal vengeance by conspiring against Chokkanatha.
The besieging Bijapur forces, realizing their efforts were futile, retreated to Tanjore, and many of their soldiers, impressed by Chokkanatha Nayak’s leadership defected to his side.
[6][1][2][3][7][9][10][11] Emboldened by his recent victory and the growing strength of his army, Chokkanatha Nayak made a decision to press forward and pursue his retreating adversaries to their homeland.