Malava

Malwa मालवा
Natural region (former administrative division)
Mhow cantonment area in Malwa
Malwa (highlighted) as per 1823 depiction of India by Fielding Lucas Jr.
Country	India
Area
• Total	81,767 km2 (31,570 sq mi)
Elevation	500 m (1,600 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	18,889,000
• Density	230/km2 (600/sq mi)
Languages
• Major languages	Malwi, Hindi
• Birth rate	31.6 (2001)
• Death rate	31.6 (2001)
• Infant mortality rate	93.8 (2001)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
ISO 3166 code	IN-MP
Largest city	Indore

Malwa is a natural region in 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, the historical Malwa region includes districts of western Madhya Pradesh and parts of south-eastern Rajasthan. The definition of Malwa is sometimes extended to include the Nimar region north of the Vindhyas.

The Malwa region had been a separate political unit from the time of the ancient Malava Kingdom. It has been ruled by several kingdoms and dynasties, including the Avanti Kingdom, the Mauryans, the Malavas, the Guptas, the Paramaras, the Malwa sultans, the Mughals and the Marathas. 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 hailed from 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 centre.