The Malavas (
Brahmi script
Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' ...
: 𑀫𑁆𑀫𑀸𑀭𑀯 ''Mmālava'') or Malwas were an ancient
Indian tribe. Modern scholars identify them with the
Mallian people (Malloi) who were settled in the
Punjab region
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprisin ...
at the time of
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
's invasion in the 4th century BCE. Later, the Malavas migrated southwards to present-day
Rajasthan, and ultimately to
Madhya Pradesh and
Gujarat. Their power gradually declined as a result of defeats against the
Western Satraps (2nd century CE), the
Gupta
Gupta () is a common surname or last name of Indian origin. It is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means 'guardian' or 'protector'. According to historian R. C. Majumdar, the surname ''Gupta'' was adopted by se ...
emperor
Samudragupta (4th century), and the
Chalukya emperor
Pulakeshin II
Pulakeshin II (IAST: Pulakeśin, r. c. 610–642 CE) was the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi (present-day Badami in Karnataka, India). During his reign, the Chalukya kingdom expanded to cover most of the Deccan region in pe ...
(7th century).
The
Malwa region in central India is named after them. The
Malava era, which later came to be known as Vikram Samvat, was probably first used by them.
Before Common Era
The Malavas are mentioned in several ancient Indian texts, including the ''
Mahabharata'' and ''
Mahabhashya
''Mahabhashya'' ( sa, महाभाष्य, IAST: '','' , "great commentary"), attributed to Patañjali, is a commentary on selected rules of Sanskrit grammar from Pāṇini's treatise, the ''Aṣṭādhyāyī'', as well as Kātyāyana's ''V� ...
''. According to the
Mahabharata, the hundred sons of the
Madra
Madra (Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-western South Asia whose existence is attested since the Vedic period. The members of the Madra tribe were called the Madrakas.
Location
The Madras were divided into -Madra ("northe ...
king Ashvapati, the father of Savitri were known as the ''Malava''s, after the name of their mother, Malavi. Although Malavas are not specifically mentioned by Panini, his sutra V.3.117 mentions a group of tribes called ''ayudhajivi samgha''s (those who live by the profession of arms) and the ''Kashika'' includes the Malavas and the Kshudrakas in this group of tribes. The Malavas are also mentioned in the ''Mahabhashya'' (IV.1.68) of
Patanjali.
The location of the original homeland of the Malavas is not certain, but modern scholars generally connect them with the "
Malli" or "Malloi" mentioned in the ancient Greek accounts, which describe
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
's war against them. At the time of Alexander's invasion in the 4th century BCE, the Malloi lived in present-day
Punjab region
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprisin ...
, in the area to the north of the confluence of the
Ravi and the
Chenab
The Chenab River () is a major river that flows in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul regi ...
rivers.
Southward migration
Later, the Malavas (or at least a large population of them) migrated to present-day Rajasthan, possibly as a result of the
Indo-Greek occupation of Punjab. They were probably headquartered at Malavanagara (present-day Nagar Fort), where several thousands of their coins have been discovered. These coins bear the legend ''Malavanam jayah'' ("victory of the Malavas"), and have been dated between 250 BCE and 250 CE. Several inscriptions dated in the
Malava era have been found in various parts of Rajasthan, which suggests that the Malava influence extended to a wider part of Rajasthan.
It is also said that the Malavas, originally residing in the Punjab region, migrated to Central India/Rajasthan due to the Huna invasion.
The Malavas ultimately migrated to the
Malwa region in central India: this region was named after them some time after the 2nd century CE.
Conflict against the Western Satraps
Around 120 CE, the Malavas are mentioned as besieging the king of the
Uttamabhadras to the south, but the Uttamabhadras were finally rescued by the
Western Satraps, and the Malvas were crushed. The account appears in an inscription at the
Nashik Caves
The Nasik Caves, or Trirashmi Leni (''Trirashmi'' being the name of the hills in which the caves are located, ''Leni'' being a Marathi word for caves), are a group of 23 caves carved between the 1st century BCE and the 3rd century CE, though a ...
, made by the
Nahapana
Nahapana ( Ancient Greek: ; Kharosthi: , ; Brahmi: , ;), was an important ruler of the Western Kshatrapas, descendant of the Indo-Scythians, in northwestern India, who ruled during the 1st or 2nd century CE. According to one of his coins, h ...
's viceroy
Ushavadata
Ushavadata (Brahmi: , ), also known as Rishabhadatta, was a viceroy and son-in-law of the Western Kshatrapa ruler Nahapana, who ruled in western India.
Name
Ushavadata's name is attested in his inscriptions as , which is derived from the Saka ...
:
Conflict with the Guptas
In the 4th century CE, during the reign of the
Gupta
Gupta () is a common surname or last name of Indian origin. It is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means 'guardian' or 'protector'. According to historian R. C. Majumdar, the surname ''Gupta'' was adopted by se ...
emperor
Samudragupta, the Malavas most probably lived in Rajasthan and western Malwa. The
Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta names the Malavas among the tribes subjugated by him:
The
Aulikaras
The Aulikaras (Late Brahmi script: ''Au-li-ka-rā''), also referred to as Aulikara dynasty or Olikara dynasty, were an ancient Indian clan from the Maurya era, that emerged into a kingdom between the 4th-century CE and 6th-century CE. They w ...
who ruled in the Malwa region may have been a Malava clan, and may have been responsible the name "Malwa" being applied to the region.
Post-Gupta period
Post-Gupta records attest to the Malava presence in multiple regions, including present-day
Madhya Pradesh and
Gujarat.
Present-day Gujarat
Xuanzang (also 7th century) locates Malava (transcribed as "Mo-la-p'o") in present-day Gujarat, describing Kheta (
Kheda
Kheda, also known as Kaira, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was former administrative capital of Kheda district. India's First Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhbhai Patel Was Born In Kheda District of Gujarat State.K ...
) and Anandapura (
Vadnagar) as parts of the Malava country. Xuanzang suggests that this Malava country was a part of the
Maitraka kingdom. Like Banabhatta, he describes Ujjayini ("Wu-she-yen-na") as a distinct territory, but unlike Banabhatta, he locates Malava to the west of Ujjayini. The 7th century
Aihole inscription of the
Chalukya king
Pulakeshin II
Pulakeshin II (IAST: Pulakeśin, r. c. 610–642 CE) was the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi (present-day Badami in Karnataka, India). During his reign, the Chalukya kingdom expanded to cover most of the Deccan region in pe ...
, who defeated the Malavas, also locates them in present-day Gujarat. The 9th century
Rashtrakuta records state that their emperor
Govinda III stationed governor Kakka in the
Lata
Lata (Hindi: लता) is a Hindu/Sanskrit Indian female given name, which means "creeper" and "vine". Lata may refer to:
Notable people named Lata
*Lata Bhatt (born 1954), Indian singer.
* Lata (born 1975), Musician.
*Lata Mangeshkar (1929–2 ...
country (southern Gujarat) to check the advance of the
Gurjara-Pratiharas
The Gurjara-Pratihara was a dynasty that ruled much of Northern India from the mid-8th to the 11th century. They ruled first at Ujjain and later at Kannauj.
The Gurjara-Pratiharas were instrumental in containing Arab armies moving east of the ...
into Malava.
Present-day Madhya Pradesh
Although the region that ultimately came to be known as
Malwa included the
Ujjain, the post-Gupta records distinguish between the territory of the Malavas and the region around Ujjain.
Banabhatta's ''Kadambari'' (7th century) describes
Vidisha
Vidisha (विदिशा, formerly known as Bhelsa and known as Besnagar in ancient times) is a city in central Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located 62.5 km northeast of the state capital, Bhopal. The name "Vidisha" is derived from th ...
in present-day eastern Malwa as the capital of the Malavas, and Ujjayini (Ujjain) in present-day western Malwa as the capital of the distinct
Avanti kingdom. This Malava king was defeated by the
Pushyabhuti king Rajavardhana around 605 CE, as attested by Banabhatta's ''
Harshacharita'' as well as the Pushyabhuti inscriptions. The distinction between these Malava and Ujjain regions is also found in the writings of the 9th century Muslim historian
Al-Baladhuri
ʾAḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Jābir al-Balādhurī ( ar, أحمد بن يحيى بن جابر البلاذري) was a 9th-century Muslim historian. One of the eminent Middle Eastern historians of his age, he spent most of his life in Baghdad and e ...
, who states that
Junayd Junayd or Junaid or Junayed ( ar, جنيد) and sometimes Jounaid is a male given name which means ''soldier'' or ''warrior''.
Persons with the given name Junaid
*Junaid Akbar (born 1975), Pakistani politician
* Junaid of Babunagar (1953-2021), Ba ...
, the Arab governor of
Sindh, raided Uzain (Ujjain) and al-Malibah (Malava) around 725 CE.
From 10th century onward, historical records use the term "Malavas" to refer to the
Paramaras, who ruled the present-day Malwa region. It is probable that the Paramaras were descended from the ancient Malavas. Though they came to be called "Malavas" after they started ruling the Malwa region named after the ancient Malavas. In the Yadava-prakasha's ''Vijayanti'' (c. 11th century), Avanti (the area around Ujjain) and Malava are stated to be identical. Thus, it appears that the present-day definition of Malwa became popular in the later half of the 10th century.
Malava era
The era, which later became known as the
Vikrama Samvat is associated with the Malavas. Initially it was mentioned as the ''Krita'' era and then as the ''Malava'' era. Most probably this era was mentioned as the ''Vikrama'' era for the first time in the Dholpur stone inscription of Chahamana ruler Chandamahasena in 898 CE.
Rulers
*
Soma
Soma may refer to:
Businesses and brands
* SOMA (architects), a New York–based firm of architects
* Soma (company), a company that designs eco-friendly water filtration systems
* SOMA Fabrications, a builder of bicycle frames and other bicycle ...
, under whom the Malavas re-asserted their independence from the
Sakas of Ujjayini after the death of
Rudrasena I
*
Vishvavarman circa 423 CE.
*
Bandhuvarman, his son and feudatory of
Kumaragupta.
See also
*
Malwa
*
Malwa (Punjab)
Malwa is a geographical region in the south of Punjab state in India. It is located between Haryana, Rajasthan, Sutlej and Ghaggar rivers.
Districts of Malwa
The following districts are classified as Malwa:
* Barnala
* Bathinda
* Faridk ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{refend
History of Malwa
Ancient peoples of India
Former kingdoms