MALWA

Sanskrit Malava historic province comprising a large portion of eastern Madhya Pradesh state and parts of southeastern Rajasthan state, west central India. Strictly, the name is confined to the hilly tableland bounded on the south by the Vindhya Range, but it has been extended to include the Narmada Valley. Traditionally a land of plenty, it is an area of fertile black soil drained by the Chambal, Sipr a, Kali Sindh, and Parbati rivers. Cotton is a major crop. As early as the 2nd century BC the area was known as Avanti; it was held by the Maurya and Gupta dynasties. The first recorded dynasty was the Paramaras, a Rajput (warrior caste) clan, who ruled (AD 8001200) from their capital at Ujjain and, later, at Dhar. Invaded by the Muslims in 1235, the province became a strong independent state (14011531) with its capital at Mandu. Later annexed by the Mughals, it was one of the first provinces to be conquered by the Marathas and was the headquarters of the Pindaris, or irregular plunderers. In 1817 the British restored order. Malwa Agency, a subdivision of the British Central India Agency, was created in 1895; it consisted of the princely states of Alirajpur, Barwani, Dhar, Jaora, Jhabua, Jobat, and Kathimau, and several petty states. Nimach was its headquarters.