In the present Letter, Ga1-xNixN (0 <= x <= 0.1) nanocrystals have been synthesized by facile solvothermal method. Crystallographic characterization of synthesized materials has been done, using powder X-ray diffraction technique, reveal the formation of wurtzite (hexagonal) structured GaN nanocrystals. Electron microscopic studies have been carried for the detailed topographical and morphological analysis of synthesized nanomaterials. Spectroscopic studies like energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), UV-visible absorption, X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS), steady state energy resolved and time resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy have been opted for the investigation of quantitative, qualitative and optical behavior of synthesized nanomaterials. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.