Madura District (Madras Presidency)
Encyclopedia
Madura District was one of the districts of the Madras Presidency
of British India. It covered the present-day districts of Madurai
, Dindigul
, Theni
, Ramanathapuram
, Sivagangai and parts of Virudhunagar District
in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
.
and its capital city of Madura
was flourishing ever since the Sangam period. In the 10th century AD, the region was conquered by the rising Chola power. The Pandyas governed as subordinate from the 10th to the 13th century AD when they asserted their independence and established their supremacy over the declining Cholas. After a short and progressive rule, the Pandyas were defeated by the Delhi Sultanate
whose ruled Alauddin Khilji
sacked Madura. The region was ruled by the Madurai Sultanate
for some time before it was conquered by the Vijayanagar Empire. The Vijayanagar kings were succeeded by the Madurai Nayak kingdom whose demise in 1736 left behind a huge void. After a short period of anarchy, Madura was conquered by the British East India Company
and the district of Madura was carved out.
and 3 zamindari taluks of Sivaganga estate
.
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
of British India. It covered the present-day districts of Madurai
Madurai District
Madurai district is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. The city of Madurai serves as the district headquarters. It houses the world famous Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwarar temple and is situated on the banks of river Vaigai. Thiruparankundram is one of the major...
, Dindigul
Dindigul District
Dindigul District is an administrative region in the south of Tamil Nadu, India. The district was carved out of Madurai District in the year 1985...
, Theni
Theni District
Theni District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in South India. The city of Theni is the district headquarters. The district is divided into two natural divisions: The hilly areas constituted by parts of the three taluks Periyakulam, Uthamapalayam and Andipatti with thick vegetation and...
, Ramanathapuram
Ramanathapuram District
Ramanathapuram District is an administrative district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Ramanathapuram is the district headquarters. Ramanthapuram District has an area of 4123 km²...
, Sivagangai and parts of Virudhunagar District
Virudhunagar District
Virudhunagar District is an administrative district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Virudhunagar is the district headquarters. Virudhunagar district was formed from parts of Tirunelveli and Madurai districts....
in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
History
Madura district was the centre of the Pandya kingdomPandya Kingdom
The Pandyas were fierce warriors who took part in the Kurukshetra War as per the epic Mahabharata. A Pandya king named Sarangadhwaja, is mentioned as participating in the Kurukshetra War, siding with the Pandavas. It is not clear if Pandyas were linked to the Pandavas of North India...
and its capital city of Madura
Madura
Madura is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately 4,250 km². Madura is administered as part of the East Java province. It is separated from Java by the narrow Strait of Madura.-History:...
was flourishing ever since the Sangam period. In the 10th century AD, the region was conquered by the rising Chola power. The Pandyas governed as subordinate from the 10th to the 13th century AD when they asserted their independence and established their supremacy over the declining Cholas. After a short and progressive rule, the Pandyas were defeated by the Delhi Sultanate
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...
whose ruled Alauddin Khilji
Alauddin Khilji
Ali Gurshap Khan better known by his titular name as Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji was the second ruler of the Turko-Afghan Khilji dynasty in India.He was a well and capable ruler. He belonged to the Afghanized Turkic tribe of the Khiljis...
sacked Madura. The region was ruled by the Madurai Sultanate
Madurai Sultanate
The Madurai Sultanate or the Ma'bar Sultanate was a short lived independent Muslim kingdom based in the city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India during the 14th century CE. It lasted from 1335 until 1378...
for some time before it was conquered by the Vijayanagar Empire. The Vijayanagar kings were succeeded by the Madurai Nayak kingdom whose demise in 1736 left behind a huge void. After a short period of anarchy, Madura was conquered by the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and the district of Madura was carved out.
Taluks
Madura district was sub-divided into 15 taluks, including 5 zamindari taluks of Ramnad estateRamnad estate
The Ramnad Estate is a permanently settled Zamindari estate in the Ramnad subdivision of the Madura district of the erstwhile Madras Presidency in British India. It comprises the southern and eastern parts of Madura district.The estate was ruled by a Zamindar who bore the title "Raja"...
and 3 zamindari taluks of Sivaganga estate
Sivaganga estate
The estate of Sivaganga , also known as Kingdom of the Lesser Marava, was a permanently settled zamindari estate in the Ramnad sub-division of Madura district, Madras Presidency, British India. Along the estate of Ramnad, it formed one of the two zamindari estates of Ramnad subdivision.The...
.
- DindigulDindigul talukDindigul taluk is a taluk of Dindigul district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The headquarters of the taluk is the town of Dindigul.- Population :...
(Area: 1122 square miles (2,906 km²); Headquarters: Dindigul) - KodaikanalKodaikanal talukKodaikanal taluk is a taluk of Dindigul district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The headquarters of the taluk is the town of Kodaikanal.- Population :...
- Madura (Area: 446 square miles (1,155.1 km²); Headquarters: Madura)
- Melur (Area: 485 square miles (1,256.1 km²); Headquarters: Melur)
- MudukulathurMudukulathur talukMudukulathur taluk is a taluk of Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The headquarters of the taluk is the town of Mudukulathur.- Population :...
(Part of Ramnad estateRamnad estateThe Ramnad Estate is a permanently settled Zamindari estate in the Ramnad subdivision of the Madura district of the erstwhile Madras Presidency in British India. It comprises the southern and eastern parts of Madura district.The estate was ruled by a Zamindar who bore the title "Raja"...
) - PalniPalani talukPalani taluk is a taluk of Dindigul district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The headquarters of the taluk is the town of Palani.- Population :...
- ParamakudiParamakudi talukParamakudi taluk is a taluk of Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. See Paramakudi for more information.- Population :According to the 2001 census, the taluk of Paramakudi had a population of 239,823 with 118,320 males and 121,503 females. There were 1027 women for every 1000...
(Part of Ramnad estate) - Periyakulam (Area: 1520 square miles (3,936.8 km²); Headquarters: Periyakulam)
- RamnadRamanathapuram talukRamanathapuram taluk is a taluk in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, India. The headquarters is the district seat of Ramanathapuram....
(Part of Ramnad estate) - SivagangaSivaganga talukSivaganga taluk is a taluk of Sivagangai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The headquarters of the taluk is the town of Sivaganga- Population :...
(Part of Sivaganga estateSivaganga estateThe estate of Sivaganga , also known as Kingdom of the Lesser Marava, was a permanently settled zamindari estate in the Ramnad sub-division of Madura district, Madras Presidency, British India. Along the estate of Ramnad, it formed one of the two zamindari estates of Ramnad subdivision.The...
) - Tiruchuli (Part of Ramnad estate)
- Tirumangalam (Area: 745 square miles (1,929.5 km²); Headquarters: Tirumangalam)
- Tirupattur (Part of Sivaganga estate)
- Tiruppuvanam (Part of Sivaganga estate)
- TiruvadanaiTiruvadanai talukTiruvadanai taluk is a taluk of Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The headquarters of the taluk is the town of Tiruvadanai.- Population :...
(Part of Ramnad estate)
Administration
As of 1901, for the purposes of administration, Madura district was divided into four sub-divisions, Madura and Melur sub-divisions being assigned to one Deputy Collector each:- Dindigul sub-division: Dindigul, Kodaikanal, Palni and Periyakulam taluks.
- Ramnad sub-division: Ramnad estateRamnad estateThe Ramnad Estate is a permanently settled Zamindari estate in the Ramnad subdivision of the Madura district of the erstwhile Madras Presidency in British India. It comprises the southern and eastern parts of Madura district.The estate was ruled by a Zamindar who bore the title "Raja"...
and Sivaganga estateSivaganga estateThe estate of Sivaganga , also known as Kingdom of the Lesser Marava, was a permanently settled zamindari estate in the Ramnad sub-division of Madura district, Madras Presidency, British India. Along the estate of Ramnad, it formed one of the two zamindari estates of Ramnad subdivision.The...
. - Madura sub-division: Madura and Tirumangalam taluks.
- Melur sub-division: Melur taluk.