Malik Kafur
The early part of the 14th century saw the gradual decline of the Pandya dynasty resulting in the repeated invasions of the South Indian Kingdoms by the Delhi Sultanate. Ala-ud-din Khilji of the slave dynasty from Delhi dispatched his general, Malik Kafur, in 1310. Malik Kafur marched south, ransacking kingdoms in central and Southern India on the way to Madurai . He marched into Madurai, sacking the town, paralysing trade, suppressing public worship, and making civilian life miserable. The great Meenakshi temple with its fourteen towers was pulled down, destroying the nearby streets and buildings, and leaving only the two shrines of Sundaresvara and Meenakshi intact.