 Megasthenes may have visited Madurai during the 3rd century BCE, with the city referred as "Methora" in his accounts.The view is contested by some scholars who believe "Methora" refers to the north Indian city of Mathura, as it was a large and established city in the Mauryan Empire.Madurai is also mentioned in Kautilya's (370–283 BCE) "Arthashastra".