sentences:  The Nayak Kings were of Telugu origin who practiced Shaivite Hinduism and were patrons of Theravada Buddhism.The Nayak rulers played a huge role in reviving Buddhism in the island.They spoke Tamil, which was also used as the court language in Kandy alongside Sinhala
  
  Relations between the Sinhalese populace, including the Kandyan aristocracy, and the Nayakkars remained fraught throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries.