Malwa (Punjab)

Region of Punjab

Not to be confused with Malwa, a different cultural region with a similar name from a shared etymology located in Central India.

Cultural region of Punjab

Malwa

Cultural region of Punjab

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Named after| Malavas
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Malwa (IPA: [maːlʋaː]) is a geographical region in the south of Punjab state in India.[1][2][3] It is located between south of the Sutlej river, north of the Ghaggar river, east of Pakistan, and west of the Sivalik Hills.[4][5][6] Whilst Malwa officially consists of the Puadh region, this was historically and culturally a distinct region from Malwa.

## Etymology

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The name of the region is derived from the Malavas, an ancient Indic tribe which inhabited the area in antiquity.[4]

## History

[edit]

### Early history

[edit]

Map created by the British East India Company of the Malwa region of Punjab showing the various polities, borders, and settlements of the area, ca.1829–1835. Rupnagar, Moga, Jagraon, Dharamkot, Kotkupura, Muktsar, and Sahnewal, are marked as the territories south of the Sutlej River which were controlled by the Sikh Empire.

The city of Ferozepur, located in the Malwa region, was founded sometime in the latter half of the 14th century by Firuz Shah Tughlaq the third of the Delhi Sultanate.[6] Later-on during the Mughal Empire, Ferozepur acted as the capital of the Multan subah (province) according to the Ain-i-Akbari.[6][7] With the shifting course of the Sutlej River, the region fell into decline, as the river which formerly provided a means of sustenance and fertility to the land became destructive and transformed the landscape of Malwa into mounds and deserts.[7] Malwa had essentially taken on the appearance of a desert by the early 16th century due to these natural circumstances.[7]

By the end of the 16th century, there was a migration of various Jat clans into the region for settlement, namely the Bhatti, Dhaliwal, Gill, and Sidhu clans, who entered the region from the south and southeast.[7] The Sidhu clan of the Jats wielded power and influence in the local area.[6][8] According to Pashaura Singh, the unpredictable power of the Sutlej River led to the toughening of the character of these newcomers.[7]

### Sikh period

[edit]

The first Sikh guru to tour the Malwa region was Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru of the Sikhs.[7] Prior to Hargobind, no Sikh guru had toured the region, which is in contrast to the neighbouring Majha and Doaba regions, which were introduced to Sikhism earlier-on, as per Dalbir Singh Dhillon.[7] Thus, most of the Jat tribes of Malwa were converted to Sikhism during the course of the 17th century.[7] With Guru Hargobind taking refuge in the forests of Daroli (present-day Daroli Bhai in Moga district) located in Malwa, many youths were drawn to the new religion and were martialized within this context.[7] Guru Hargobind was physically impressive in stature and charismatic with his missionary efforts, which drew-in converts in the region and providing new recruits for his Akal Sena.[7] While at Daroli, Guru Hargobind kept in close communication with Bhai Gurdas and Baba Buddha.[7] After the execution of Guru Arjan, the central Sikh headquarters at Amritsar came under close Mughal surveillance, which led to the development of Daroli in Malwa as a "itinerant Sikh centre" during the guruship of Guru Hargobind.[7] Baba Gurditta, the son of Guru Hargobind and Mata Damodari, and father of Guru Tegh Bahadur, was born in the forests of Daroli in 1608.[9]

Guru Hargobind visited the Jagraon region of Malwa in western Ludhiana and a Gurdwara called 'Guru Sar' was constructed in the village of Kaunke, located 7 km southwest of the city of Jagraon itself, to commemorate his visit to the locality between the years 1631–1632.[10] During the early Mughal-Sikh wars, in 1634 Guru Hargobind left Amritsar to avoid Mughal persecution and arrived near Moga with fresh recruits enlisted en-route to stage a counter-attack against the Mughal government.[11] When near Moga, he sent his family to safety in Kartarpur and whilst he remained in the Malwa region with his army.[11]

At Dagru village in Moga district, it is believed Guru Har Rai stayed there for some time whilst on a tour of the Malwa region.[12] Gurdwara Tambu Sahib was later constructed to commemorate his stay in the area.[12]

The tenth guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, traveled around the Muktsar part of the Malwa region for around a year, converting many local Jats to Sikhism while doing so.[13] During the Sikh Confederacy of the 18th century, the Bhangi Misl held sway.[6]

## Culture

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Equestrian painting of a Sikh from Malwa, Company School, Punjab Plains, ca.1840

The local Punjabi dialect of the cultural region is known as Malwai, which differs from other adjacent Punjabi lects.[5][14][15] Malwai Giddha is a local dance form which evolved in the region.[16]

## Politics

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The region is politically-dominant in the state of Punjab, with all of the state's chief ministers, apart from two, hailing from Malwa.[note 1][17][18] This has been attributed to Malwa becoming the largest region of Punjab after the re-organization of the state in 1966.[18]

## Demographics

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The Malwa region was historically sparsely populated in-comparison to the more occupied Majha and Doaba regions.[6]

## Geography

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### Districts

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The following districts are classified as Malwa (note that some of these districts' areas may overlap with the neighbouring Poadh region):[4][6]

Malwa districts of Punjab, India

Barnala
Bathinda
Faridkot
Fatehgarh Sahib
Fazilka (not including Abohar tehsil)
Firozpur
Ludhiana
Malerkotla
Mansa
Moga
Mohali
Patiala
Muktsar
Rupnagar
Sangrur

Parts of these districts also speak Malwai Punjabi

* Kalawali Mandi area of Sirsa
* Area north of Ghaggar river Fatehabad

### Traditional sub-regions

[edit]

As per H. S. Bhatti, the Malwa region of Punjab can be traditionally subdivided into the following sub-regions:[19]

* Jangal: derived from a historically vast tract of jungle known as the Lakhi Jungle, comprising the districts of Bathinda, Faridkot, Muktsar, and Firozpur districts.[19]
* Puadh[note 2]: Ropar district and parts of Patiala district.[19] The Puadhi dialect is spoken there.[19]
* Bangar: region bordering Rajasthan and Haryana, comprising parts of Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda districts near the border with those states.[19] A dialect known as Bangru is spoken there.[19]
* Tihara: comprises Ludhiana district and parts of Moga and Sangrur districts.[19]

Marriages tend to be preferred within sub-regions, although the sub-region classification cannot be described as endogamous units.[19]

## Relation to the Puadh region

[edit]

Whilst the Puadh region is officially subsumed under Malwa due to a misguided belief of everything south of the Sutlej river in Punjab being "Malwa", it is culturally and historically a different region of Punjab, with its own culture and language.[20][21]

## See also

[edit]

* Doaba
* Majha
* Poadh
* Malwai Giddha

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Partap Singh Kairon was from Majha whilst Charanjit Singh Channi was from Puadh.
2. ^ Others classify Puadh as being a separate, standalone region from Malwa, rather than a sub-region of it.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Deol, Harnik (2000). Religion and Nationalism in India:The Case of the Punjab. Routledge. ISBN 9780415201087.
2. ^ Telford, Hamish (1 November 1992). "The Political Economy of Punjab: Creating Space for Sikh Militancy". Asian Survey. 32 (11): 969–987\. doi:10.2307/2645265. JSTOR 2645265. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
3. ^ Singh, Gopal (7 January 1984). "Socio-Economic Bases of the Punjab Crisis". Economic and Political Weekly. 19 (1): 42–47. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
4. ^ a b c Grover, Parminder Singh; Singh, Davinderjit (2011). "Section 1: Introduction – Regions of Punjab". Discover Punjab: Attractions of Punjab. Photographs by Bhupinder Singh. Ludhiana, Punjab, India: Golden Point Pvt Lmt. "Regions of Punjab: The much-truncated India's portion of present Punjab is divided into three natural regions: The Maiha, The Doaba, The Malwa. Majha: Majha starts northward from the right bank of river Beas and stretches up to the Wagha village, which marks the boundary between India and Pakistan. Majha in Punjabi means the heartland. The region is divided into three districts: 1. Amritsar, 2. Gurdaspur, 3. Tarn Taran. Doaba: The rivers Sutlei in the south and Beas in the North bound the Doaba of Puniab. The Doaba region is divided into four districts: 1. Jalandhar, 2. Nawanshahr, 3. Kapurthala, 4. Hoshiarpur. Malwa: The area south of the river Sutlej is called Malwa. The name has stuck because a clan called Molois (sometimes written as Malawis in ancient works) once ruled this area, which must have spread up to present State of Gujrat which was known as the Subah of Malwa as late as the Mughul times. Malwa the largest part of the Punjab is divided into the following 12 districts after the names of their headquarters: 1. Bathinda, 2. Barnala, 3. Faridkot, 4. Fatehgarh Sahib, 5. Ferozepur, 6. Ludhiana, 7. Mansa, 8. Moga, 9. Sangrur, 10. Muktsar, 11. Patiala, 12. Rup Nagar, 13. SAS Nagar - Mohali."
5. ^ a b Singh, Mandeep (2005). Punjab Today. Harvinder Kaur. New Delhi: Deep & Deep Publications. p. 11\. ISBN 81-7629-702-X. OCLC 62536488. "The people of the region speak the Malwa dialect, which is similar to Punjabi. Malwa is surrounded by the river Sutlej in the north, the river Ghaggar in the south, the Shivalik Hills in the east and Pakistan in the west."
6. ^ a b c d e f g Bassi, Tripti (2021). A Study of the Sikh Kanya Mahavidyalaya: Education, Religion and Gender Issues. Singapore: Springer Nature. p. 42\. ISBN 978-981-16-3219-8. OCLC 1259627824. "Historically, the city was founded by Firoz Shah Tughlaq III (1351-1388 A.D). It was earlier an important centre between Delhi and Lahore (Sharma, 1983: 17). Firoz Shah III constructed the Ferozepore fort around 1370 (GoP, 2000: 13). The Ain-i-Akbari also refers to 'Ferozepore' as the capital of Multan province. After a series of successions by Sidhu Jatts and the Bhangi Misl, the district became 'the advanced outpost of British India in the direction of the Sikh power' in 1839 (Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1908a, b: 440-441). Finally, in 1846, it formally became part of the British Empire. ... Ferozepur is southwest of 'Malwa region of Punjab. On the basis of culture, Punjab is distinguished into three areas- Majha, Doaba and Malwa. Rivers mark these folk regions with unique physical milieu, economic organization and cultural practices. Majha is in upper Bari Doab comprising districts of Amritsar and Gurdaspur. Doaba or Bist. Doaba comprises districts of Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahar, Kapurthala and certain sections of Fazilka. Malwa region is south of river Sutlej. It includes eleven districts of Punjab and so is the largest region of Punjab. In contrast to Majha and Doaba, Malwa is thinly populated and is bound by rivers Sutlej in the North, Ghaggar in the south, Shivalik hills in the east and Pakistan in the west (GoP, 2004: 26-29)."
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Singh, Pashaura (9 August 2024). The Routledge Companion to the Life and Legacy of Guru Hargobind: Sovereignty, Militancy, and Empowerment of the Sikh Panth. Taylor & Francis. pp. 98–99\. ISBN 9781040106327.
8. ^ Dhavan, Purnima (3 November 2011). When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 205\. ISBN 978-0-19-975655-1. "The clashes between the Bhatti tribe and the Phulkian-Sidhu Jats would shape the later history of this area of Malwa."
9. ^ Singh, Pashaura (9 August 2024). The Routledge Companion to the Life and Legacy of Guru Hargobind: Sovereignty, Militancy, and Empowerment of the Sikh Panth. Taylor & Francis. p. 100\. ISBN 9781040106327.
10. ^ Singh, Harbans (2011). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism (3rd ed.). Patiala: Punjabi University. p. 426\. ISBN 978-81-7380-204-1.
11. ^ a b Dhillon, Dalbir Singh (1988). Sikhism: Origin and Development. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors Pvt Limited. p. 122.
12. ^ a b Singha, H.S. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (Over 1000 Entries). Hemkunt Press. p. 194\. ISBN 9788170103011. "1\. Tambu Sahib, Dagru: It is situated in village Dagru near Moga and is dedicated to Guru Har Rai who encamped here in the course of his journey through the Malwa region."
13. ^ Dhillon, Harish (2015). The Sikh Gurus. Hay House Publishing. ISBN 978-93-84544-45-4. OCLC 968092357. "The Guru spent a year travelling around Muktsar. This region is the Malwa region and the inhabitants are mostly Jats - simple, hardworking and straight-forward people, people who revel in the freedom of both of thought and action. They found the Guru's teachings to be simple and practical and that they gave freedom to people who had been bound for centuries by caste and by ceremonies and rituals. As a result many of the people from this region joined this new faith."
14. ^ Jeneen Hobby; Timothy L. Gall, eds. (2009). Worldmark encyclopedia of cultures and daily life (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale. p. 808\. ISBN 978-1-4144-4893-0. OCLC 388481759. "The other important Punjabi dialects are Malwa, Doabi, Powadhi, Dogri, and Bhattiani."
15. ^ Duggal, Kartar Singh (1988). Philosophy and Faith of Sikhism. Honesdale, Pa.: Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the U.S.A. p. 77\. ISBN 0-89389-109-6. OCLC 21934816. "According to the renowned Sikh Scholar, the late Principal Teja Singh, Punjabi is the language that the people of the Punjab have spoken from time immemorial. A living language keeps on changing its complexion. During the course of history, this change in complexion may result in the language being transformed beyond recognition. Punjabi has undergone this metamorphosis time and again and yet it remains Punjabi, the language to which the people in this part of the country belong. Even today the language spoken by the people living in Pothoar is different in flavor from the one spoken in Malwa, as much as the language spoken in Malwa is different in taste from that of Majha. It is said that the dialects in India start changing about every 30 kilometers. Like all other Indian languages, Punjabi, too, has a number of dialects. They can be as diverse as Pahari, spoken in the north, and Lehndi, prevalent in the south."
16. ^ Singh, Nahar; Gill, R.S. (2004). "Folk Practices in Punjab" (PDF). Journal of Punjab Studies. 11 (2): 171–196. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
17. ^ Chaba, Anju Agnihotri (25 September 2021). "Punjab: Rich in culture but politically neglected, Puadh region now hopes it will finally get its due". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
18. ^ a b Singh, I. P. (21 September 2021). "Punjab: 'Politically neglected' Puadh's first CM". Times of India. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
19. ^ a b c d e f g h Bhatti, H. S. (2000). Folk Religion: Change and Continuity. Rawat Publications. pp. 27–29\. ISBN 9788170336082.
20. ^ Chaba, Anju Agnihotri (25 September 2021). "Punjab: Rich in culture but politically neglected, Puadh region now hopes it will finally get its due". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
21. ^ Singh, I. P. (21 September 2021). "Punjab: 'Politically neglected' Puadh's first CM". Times of India. Retrieved 28 June 2025.

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State of Punjab, India

Capital: Chandigarh

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Punjab geography

* Bagar
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Geography of South Asia

Mountains|

| Himalayas|

* Eastern Himalayas
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|

Hindu Kush|

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Western Ghats|

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|

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