MADU'RA, the capital of the district of Madura, in the province of Madras; 270 s.w. from the city of Madras; pop. 36,000. It was anciently the seat of the Pandian kingdom, which was foiinded 500 B.C. Ambassadors from the king of Pandya visited Rome in the time of Augustus. Early in the Christian era a college was founded here for the cultivation of Tamil literature, and was distinguished throughout India for the 'learning of its professors. They took great pains to keep the language free from San -skrit words, which were then beginning to be brought from the north, and to this day no Tamil is there considered pure that.has any mixture of the northern tongues. The last .sovereign, queen Menakshi Amman, was dethroned by Chunder Saib, 1736; from 1740 to 1760 the city was repeatedly besieged, and was often in the hands of rebels. Till recently it had a double wall with 7'2 towers surrounded by a ditch from 60Ito 70 ft.
wide. Some of the native edifices give evidence of ancient splendor, but most of the dwellings are very inferior. The temple of Meenarchi or Fish mother is in the center of the city, and is the fourth of the seven strongholds of idolatry in India. It is said to have been partially destroyed in the flood of Menu, and to have been rebuilt by Sekhara Panciian in the 2d or 3c1 c., to have been nearly destroyed during the second Moham medan conquest in the 14th c., and renewed by Viswanatha Naick. Its present splen dor is due to Tirumal Naick, the last rajah, who reigned 1622-62. The outer wall of the temple is a parallelogram of 800 by 700 ft., within which are 50 buildings devoted to the various purposes of the temple worship, and the use of those who conduct it. The
wall is of granite with a parapet of brick, and is 37 ft. high. The main entrances are by four gateways 30 ft. high, through towers 50 or 60 ft. wide at the base which rise in Il stories to the height of 150 feet. One choultrie or rest-house within the inclosure built by Tirumal Naick is 312 ft. by 125, the roof supported by 162 columns, many of theal wrought from a single stone. Fifty-four of these columns are 30 ft. of 2 stones. fitted face to face so as to look like one solid block 4+ ft. thick, carved on all sides with life-size figures in full or in bas-relief. The granite roof of one room is supported by 1.000 columns, and the columns in the whole temple number 10,000. There are also remains of a palace of considerable magnificence built by Tiruntal Naick. Madura has been the metropolis of Hinduism for southern India. Early in the 17th c. a Roman Catholic mission was established here, and continued for about 150 years. In 1837 the mission was re-established, and has prospered. Up to 1835 no Protestant missionary had ever resided in the city: In that year a mission was established by the Rev. Daniel Poor and others of the American board, and much has been accomplished for the enlightenment of the people. From this center Christian work has extended to several other cities and many villages; between 30 and 40 native churches have been formed, rnore than 150 native congregations gathered, and about 7,000 converts recorded; a large number of children are under instruction in over 100 schools, and there are faithful educated native pastors, catechists, and teachers.