Malwa

Malwa ( ) is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also synonymous with the former state of Madhya Bharat which was later merged with Madhya Pradesh. At present the historical Malwa region includes districts of western Madhya Pradesh and parts of south-eastern Rajasthan. Sometimes the definition of Malwa is extended to include the Nimar region south of the Vindhyas. The Malwa region had been a separate political unit from the time of the ancient Malava Kingdom, and has been ruled by several kingdoms and dynasties. Malwa continued to be an administrative division until 1947, when the Malwa Agency of British India was merged into Madhya Bharat (also known as Malwa Union) state of independent India. Although its political borders have fluctuated throughout history, the region has developed its own distinct culture, influenced by the Rajasthani, Marathi and Gujarati cultures. Several prominent people in the history of India have lived in Malwa, including the poet and dramatist Kalidasa, the author Bhartrihari, the mathematicians and astronomers Varahamihira and Brahmagupta, and the polymath king Bhoja.…

Malwa ( ) is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also synonymous with the former state of Madhya Bharat which was later merged with Madhya Pradesh. At present the historical Malwa region includes districts of western Madhya Pradesh and parts of south-eastern Rajasthan. Sometimes the definition of Malwa is extended to include the Nimar region south of the Vindhyas. The Malwa region had been a separate political unit from the time of the ancient Malava Kingdom, and has been ruled by several kingdoms and dynasties. Malwa continued to be an administrative division until 1947, when the Malwa Agency of British India was merged into Madhya Bharat (also known as Malwa Union) state of independent India. Although its political borders have fluctuated throughout history, the region has developed its own distinct culture, influenced by the Rajasthani, Marathi and Gujarati cultures. Several prominent people in the history of India have lived in Malwa, including the poet and dramatist Kalidasa, the author Bhartrihari, the mathematicians and astronomers Varahamihira and Brahmagupta, and the polymath king Bhoja. Ujjain had been the political, economic, and cultural capital of the region in ancient times, and Indore is now the largest city and commercial center. Overall, agriculture is the main occupation of the people of Malwa. The region has been one of the important producers of opium in the world. Wheat and soybeans are other important cash crops, and textiles are a major industry. Malwi is a demonym given to people from the Malwa region.

Religion

Malwa has a significant number of Dawoodi Bohras, a subsect of Shia Muslims from Gujarat, who are mostly businessmen by profession. Besides speaking the local languages, the Bohras have their own language, Lisan al-Dawat. The Patidars, who Migrated from Gujarat settle in the Malwa-nimar. The Whole Malwa-Nimar belt is dominated by Patidar's who are large landowner's.

Languages

The most spoken language in the Malwa region is Malvi, which is the regional language, and Hindi is spoken in the cities. Marathi is also spoken considerably in the regions of Indore, Dhar, Dewas and Ujjain. A significant number of Marathas, Jats, Rajputs and Banias also live in the region. The Sindhis, who settled in the region after the partition of India, are an important part of the business community. Like southern Rajasthan, the region has a significant number of Jains, who are mostly traders and businesspeople. The region is home to smaller numbers of Goan Catholics, Anglo-Indians, Punjabis and Parsis or Zoroastrians. The Parsis are closely connected to the growth and evolution of Mhow, which has a Parsi fire temple and a Tower of Silence.

Demands for statehood

There have been demands for a separate Malwa state with the probable capital at Indore. The region includes the Madhya Pradesh districts of Dewas, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Ratlam, Shajapur, Agar, Ujjain, Indore, Barwani, Burhanpur, Dhar, Jhabua, Khandwa, Khargone, Alirajpur and Rajgarh.

External links

Paintings of places associated with Malwa as illustrations to , a poem by Letitia Elizabeth Landon: The Pass of Makundra, by William Purser, engraved by W A LePetit. Page 20. Perawa, Malwa, by John Sell Cotman, engraved by W A LePetit. Page 21.

Bibliography

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378773603 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.