The city is said to have got its name from the drops of nectar (Madhu) that fell from Shiva's locks when he came to bless its people for constructing a temple for him. Originally named Madhurapuri or the 'Land of Nectar', the name later got modified as Madurai. It was the capital of the Pandyas who had trade contacts with Greece and Rome. The next major rulers of Madurai were the Vijayanagar kings who won over the territory in 1371. They appointed the Nayaks as governors who, in time, became powerful in their own right. The 200-year-old reign of the Nayaks marks the golden period of Madurai when art, architecture and learning, scaled new heights. In fact, the most beautiful buildings in the city including its most famous landmark, the Meenakshi temple was build by the Nayaks. Madurai then passed into the hands of the British East India Company. In 1840 they razed the fort that once surrounded the city.