In Madurai, after the Pandyas came the Vijayanagar kingdom, followed by the Nayak dynasty who in the 17th century converted it into a complex temple city and enclosed its numerous shrines within a walled boundary. The main feature of the temples at Madurai is the tall, flat topped gopuram or gateway with teirs of sculptural decorations, seeming to originate from the shikharas of Pallava and Chola temples, although the temple structure itself was comparitively low.