According to a 1713 letter written by Christian missionary Martin, Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi was the second adoptive son of Raghunatha Kilavan, the founder of the kingdom.

Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi became a king after his adoptive father Raghunatha Kilavan chose him as heir apparent on his death bed.

With the assistance of French engineers he built a fort near Gundar river in Kamudhi in present day Ramanathapuram district.

[1] Being a pious Hindu, Vijayaraghunatha frequently visited the temple at Rameswaram and made donations.

His son-in-law (Dhandapani Thevar) decided to charge a very small fare for this ferry from pilgrims.

Vijayaraghunatha's rival to win the throne, Bhavani Shankar, broke into an open revolt in 1720 and along with Raja of Pudukkottai and the Thanjavur Maratha ruler invaded Aranthangi.