Kaka Nayaka was the legendary leader of the forest dwelling Jenu Kuruba people. Kaka Nayaka fought for the rights of the Jenu Kuruba people who were exploited by the local tax collector for the maharaja of Mysore. Kaka refused to pay the taxes half of which never reached Mysore. He along with his tribe lived in the forests of mysore, today named after himself as the "Kakanakote" forest.
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Legend
Kaka once saved the life of maharaja of Mysore from an estranged elephant and as a favour the maharaja had promised Kaka that he would help him whenever he asked for. When Kaka and his tribe were exploited by the tax collectors, kaka wrote a letter to the maharaja asking for his intervention and thus bringing to his notice the corruption by his employees. The maharaja did visit the forest and impressed by kaka's bravery he named the forest after him.
Play and Movie
The story of the legendary Kaka was written in the form of a play by the "Jnanapeetha" award winner "Masti Venkatesha Iyengar" and also made into a movie called "Kakana Kote"