A city in Tamil Nadu which served as the capital of the Pandya dynasty (c. third to fourth century BCE to fourteenth century century CE) as well as the Madurai Sultanate (1335–78). It was also an important centre under the Chola dynasty, the Vijayanagara empire, the Carnatic Nawabs of Arcot and the British East India Company. It is the site of a number of historical monuments, including the Meenakshi Ammal Temple and the Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace, as well as a crucial centre of developments in the Tamil language since c. third century BCE.