View source for Malwa Sultanate

{{Short description|Late medieval kingdom in northern India (1392–1562)}}
{{For|the region's earlier history|Malwa}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = {{nq|مالوہ سلطنت}} <br> ''Mālwā Salṭanat''
| conventional_long_name = The Sultanate of Malwa
| common_name            = Malwa Sultanate
| year_start             = 1392
| year_end               = 1561/2
| date_start             = 
| date_end               = 
| event_start            = 
| event_end              = 
| p1                     = Delhi Sultanate
| flag_p1                = Sultan of Delhi Flag according to the Catalan Atlas (1375).png
| p2                     = 
| flag_p2                = 
| p3                     = 
| flag_p3                = 
| p4                     = 
| flag_p4                = 
| s1                     = Malwa Subah
| flag_s1                = Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg
| image_flag             = 
| image_coat             = 
| coa_size               = 
| image_map              = India in 1525 Joppen.jpg
| image_map_caption      = Malwa Sultanate in the 1525, with [[Gondwana (India)|Gondwana tribes]] as their tributary.<ref>For a map of their territory see: {{cite book |last1=Schwartzberg |first1=Joseph E. |title=A Historical atlas of South Asia |date=1978 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |page=147, map XIV.4 (a)|isbn=0226742210 |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=186}}</ref>
| religion               = [[Sunni]] [[Islam]]
| capital                = [[Dhar]] <small>(initially)</small> <br> [[Mandu, Madhya Pradesh|Mandu]]
| government_type        = [[Sultanate]]
| legislature            = 
| title_leader           = [[List of Sultans of the Malwa Sultanate|Sultan]]
| leader1                = [[Dilawar Khan]] <small>(first)</small>
| year_leader1           = 1392 - 1406
| leader2                = [[Baz Bahadur]] <small>(last)</small>
| year_leader2           = 1555 - 1562
| common_languages       = [[Persian language|Persian]](official)
| today                  = [[India]]
}}

The '''Malwa Sultanate''' ({{lang-fa|{{Nastaliq| سلطنتِ مالوہ}}}}) was a late medieval Islamic sultanate in the [[Malwa|Malwa region]], covering the present day [[Indian states]] of [[Madhya Pradesh]] and south-eastern [[Rajasthan]] from 1392 to 1562. It was founded by [[Dilawar Khan]], who following [[Timur]]'s invasion and the disintegration of the Delhi Sultanate, in 1401/2, made Malwa an independent realm.<ref name="EncofIslam"/> In 1561, the Sultanate was conquered by the [[Mughal empire]] from its last ruler, [[Baz Bahadur]] and it became a [[Malwa Subah|subah]] of the empire.

==Origin==
[[Dilawar Khan]] was an [[Afghan (ethnonym)|Afghan]]<ref name="EncofIslam">{{EI2|last1=Haig|first1=T.W.|last2= Islam|first2=Riazul|title=Mālwā|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/malwa-SIM_4883?s.num=12&s.au=%22Haig%2C+T.W.%22&s.f.s2_parent_title=Encyclopaedia+of+Islam%2C+Second+Edition|volume=6}}</ref> or a [[Turkic people|Turco]]-[[Afghans|Afghan]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Keay |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IquM4BrJ4YC&dq=Dilawar+Khan+afghan+malwa&pg=PT462 |title=India: A History |date=2011-04-12 |publisher=Open Road + Grove/Atlantic |isbn=978-0-8021-9550-0 |language=en}}</ref> governor of the [[Delhi Sultanate]]. Dilawar Khan had ceased to pay tribute to Delhi after 1392.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Islam |first1=Riazul |last2=Bosworth |first2=C. E. |author2-link=Clifford Edmund Bosworth |title=History of civilizations of Central Asia, v. 4: The Age of achievement, A.D. 750 to the end of the fifteenth century; Pt. I: the historical, social and economic setting |date=1998 |publisher=UNESCO Publishing |page=285 |chapter=Delhi Sultanate}}</ref> In 1437, the Ghurid dynasty of Dilawar Khan was overthrown by [[Mahmud Khalji|Mahmud Khan]], a Khilji [[Turkic people|Turk]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bhattacherje |first=S. B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oGVSvXuCsyUC&dq=khilji+turk+malwa&pg=SL1-PA43 |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates |date=2009-05-01 |publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd |isbn=978-81-207-4074-7 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Puri |first1=B. N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y7fUHMEDAyEC&dq=khilji+turk+malwa&pg=PA78 |title=A Comprehensive History of India: Comprehensive history of medieval India |last2=Das |first2=M. N. |date=2003-12-01 |publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd |isbn=978-81-207-2508-9 |language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Sweets 1.jpg|thumb|upright|225px|Preparation of [[Samosa]] for Ghiyath al-Din, Sultan of Malwa, at Mandu]]
===Ghurid dynasty===
The sultanate of [[Malwa]] was founded by [[Dilawar Khan|Dilawar Khan Ghuri]], the governor of Malwa for the [[Delhi Sultanate]], who asserted his independence in 1392, but did not actually assume the ensigns of royalty till 1401. Initially [[Dhar]] was the capital of the new kingdom, but soon it was shifted to [[Mandu, Madhya Pradesh|Mandu]], which was renamed Shadiabad (the city of joy). After his death, he was succeeded by his son [[Hoshang Shah of Malwa|Alp Khan]], who assumed the title of Hoshang Shah.

The Muzaffarids under [[Muzaffar Shah I|Zafar Khan Muzaffar Shah I]] accused Hoshang of parricide and invaded Malwa. Hoshang was defeated and captured as a prisoner, while a Muzaffarid governor was appointed in his pace at [[Dhar]].<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=h1c-DwAAQBAJ&dq=Muzaffar+hoshang&pg=PT17 |title= India - Medieval History (A.D.1206-1761)
 |author= Publications Division|isbn= 9788123026374
 }}</ref>

===Khalji dynasty===
The Ghurid dynasty, founded by Dilawar Khan Ghuri, was replaced by [[Mahmud Khalji|Mahmud Shah I]], who proclaimed himself king on 16 May 1436. The Khalji dynasty, founded by him, ruled over Malwa till 1531.

The sultanate saw heavy decline in 1519 after the continues invasions of Rajput emperor [[Rana Sanga]] of [[Mewar]].<ref name="Sharma p27 16th century">{{Cite book |author=Dasharatha Sharma|author-link=Dasharatha Sharma|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wi1uAAAAMAAJ|title=Lectures on Rajput History and Culture|date=1970|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-0-8426-0262-4|pages=27|language=en|quote=Early 16th century marks the rise of patriotic one eyed chief of Mewar named as Rana Sanga who defeat several of his neighbour kingdom and establish Rajput hold on Malwa first time after fall of Parmara dynasty through series of victories over Malwa,Gujarat and Delhi Sultanate}}</ref> [[Mahmud Khalji]] I was succeeded by his eldest son [[Ghiyath Shah|Ghiyas-ud-Din]].
The last days of Ghiyas-ud-Din were embittered by a struggle for throne between his two sons, with Nasir-ud-Din emerging victorious over Ala-ud-Din and ascending the throne on 22 October 1510,  The last ruler Mahmud Shah II surrendered to [[Bahadur Shah of Gujarat|Bahadur Shah]], the [[sultan of Gujarat]] after the fort of Mandu fell to Bahadur on 25 May 1531.<ref name=majumdar>Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). ''The Delhi Sultanate'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp.173-86</ref>

===Muzaffarid Conquest===
Since 1518, [[Mahmud Shah II]] was a vassal of the Gujarat Sultan. The last ruler [[Mahmud Shah II]] surrendered to [[Bahadur Shah of Gujarat|Bahadur Shah]], the [[sultan of Gujarat]] after the fort of Mandu fell to Bahadur on 25 May 1531.<ref name=majumdar>Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). ''The Delhi Sultanate'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp.173-86</ref> During 1531 – 1537 the kingdom was annexed under the control of Bahadur Shah, though the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor [[Humayun]] captured it for a short period during 1535-36. The Gujaratis regained Malwa giving allegiance to Bahadur Shah until 1542.

===Restored Khalji dynasty===
In 1537, Qadir Shah, an ex-officer of the previous Khalji dynasty rulers, regained control over a part of the erstwhile kingdom.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kolff|first=Dirk H. A.|date=2002|title=Naukar, Rajput, and Sepoy: The Ethnohistory of the Military Labour Market of Hindustan, 1450-1850|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=103|isbn=9780521523059}}</ref> But in 1542, [[Sher Shah Suri]] conquered the kingdom, defeating him and appointed Shuja'at Khan as the governor. His son, [[Baz Bahadur]], declared himself independent in 1555. Darya Khan Gujarati, the ex-Wazir of Mahmud Khan of Gujarat ruled Ujjain.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-yNuAAAAMAAJ&q=Ujjain+was+then+given+temporarily+to+Darya+Khan+Gujarati+,+who+had+been+wazir+of |title= Madhya Pradesh District Gazetteers: Ujjain |author= V. S. Krishnan · |date=1982 |page=46}}</ref>

In 1561, emperor [[Akbar]] sent the Mughal army, led by [[Adham Khan]] and Pir Muhammad Khan, which attacked [[Malwa]] and defeated Baz Bahadur in the battle of [[Sarangpur, Madhya Pradesh|Sarangpur]] on 29 March 1561, culminating in the [[Mughal conquest of Malwa]]. Akbar soon recalled Adham Khan and made over command to Pir Muhammad. Pir Muhammad attacked [[Khandesh]] and proceeded up to [[Burhanpur]], but he was defeated by a coalition of three powers: [[Faruqi dynasty#Miran Mubarak Shah II|Miran Mubarak Shah II]] of [[Khandesh]], Tufal Khan of [[Berar Sultanate]] and Baz Bahadur. Pir Muhammad died while retreating. The confederate army pursued the Mughals and drove them out of Malwa. Baz Bahadur regained his kingdom for a short period. In 1562, Akbar sent another army, led by Abdullah Khan, an Uzbeg, which finally defeated Baz Bahadur. He fled to [[Chittor]].<ref>Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007) ''The Mughul Empire'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, {{Listed Invalid ISBN|81-7276-407-1}}, pp.112-3</ref> It became the [[Malwa Subah]] (top-level province) of the Mughal empire, with seat at [[Ujjain]] and Abdullah Khan became its first governor.

==Art and architecture==
[[File:Westindischer Maler um 1510 001.jpg|thumb|upright|left|An illustration from the manuscript of the [[Nimat Nama]] completed during the reign of Nasir-ud-Din Shah]]

===Malwa painting===
Many remarkable illustrated manuscripts were prepared during the period of the sultanate.  An illustrated manuscript of ''Kalpa Sutra'' (1439) (presently in the National Museum, Delhi) was prepared in Mandu during the reign of Mahmud Shah I<ref>Khare, M.D. (ed.) (1981). ''Malwa through the Ages'', Bhopal: the Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Government of M.P., pp.193-5</ref> But the most interesting is a manuscript of the ''[[Nimat Nama]]'', a treatise on the art of cooking, which bears many portraits of Ghiyas-ud-Din Shah but the colophon bears the name of Nasir-ud-Din Shah. The other notable illustrated manuscripts of this period are of the ''Miftah-ul-Fuzala'', a dictionary of rare words, the ''Bustan'' (1502) painted by Haji Mahmud and the ''Aja'ib-us-San'ati'' (1508). Another manuscript of the ''Anwar-i-Suhaili'' (now in the National Museum, Delhi) probably also belong to this period.<ref name=M2>Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007). ''The Mughul Empire'', Mumbai:Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, {{Listed Invalid ISBN|81-7276-407-1}},pp.804-5</ref>

===Malwa architecture===
[[File:rani_Rupmati_pavilion.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Rani [[Roopmati|Rupmati]] Pavilion in [[Mandu, Madhya Pradesh|Mandu]], the capital of the Malwa Sultanate]] 
The monuments built during the sultanate period are almost concentrated in [[Mandu, Madhya Pradesh|Mandu]] city. The early monuments were assembled out of the materials of earlier Hindu temples, according to the Islamic plan and convention. But nothing seems to have been done to conceal or alter their essential Hindu appearance. The significant among them are the ''Kamal Maula Masjid'' (c.1400), the ''Lal Masjid'' (1405), ''Dilawar Khan's Masjid'' (c.1405) and the ''Masjid of Malik Mughis'' (1452) in Mandu.<ref name=M1>Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). ''The Delhi Sultanate'', Mumbai:Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp.702-9</ref>

[[File:ManduPalace.jpg|thumb|upright|the ''Jahaz Mahal'']]
Hoshang Shah laid the foundation of the Mandu fort on the ruins of the original fortification. With him began the second and the classical phase of Malwa architecture. Some of the ten gateways on the 25 miles long wall of the fortress of Mandu were built by the Malwa sultans, the earliest one being the ''Delhi Darwaza'' (northern gateway). Within the walls of the fortress, presently only forty structures survive in different stages of preservation. The largest and most impressive of them is ''Jami Masjid'', which according to an inscription was begun by Hoshang Shah and completed by Mahmud Shah I in 1454. The remarkable Durbar hall, known as the ''Hindola Mahal'' is also attributed to Hoshang Shah. Opposite to Jami Masjid, the large structural complex known as the ''Ashrafi Mahal'' comprises a group of buildings successively built in course of a rather long period. Its original nucleus seems to be a ''madrasa'' building erected as an adjunct to the ''Jami Masjid'', probably during the reign of Hoshang Shah. According to [[Firishta]], the tomb of Hoshang Shah was built by Mahmud Shah I. The later mausoleums, such as the tomb of Darya Khan, the ''Dai ka Mahal'' and the ''Chhappan Mahal'' were built on the same design. A long structural complex situated between two lakes has a curious name, the ''Jahaz Mahal'' (ship-palace). Though the date of this monument is not definitely known, its general style is in accord with the character of Ghiyas-ud-Din Khalji. A lonely building on the slope of a hill by the side of Riwa Kund is known by the local people as Baz Bahadur's palace. According to an inscription this monument was actually built by Nasir-ud-Din Shah. The Rani Rupmati Pavilion stands on the southern edge of the plateau and as its situation and form indicate, was, in all probability, designed for military purposes.<ref name="M1"/>

== Rulers ==
<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="100px" perrow="3">
File:Silver_coin_of_Nasir_Shah_of_Malwa.jpg|Silver half tanka of Nasir Shah dated (AH) 915 (= 1509–1510 CE)
File:Silver_coin_of_Muhammad_Shah_II_of_Malwa.jpg|Silver half tanka of Muhammad Shah II dated (AH) 917 (= 1511–1512 CE)
File:Silver_coin_of_Baz_Bahadur_of_Malwa.jpg|Silver tanka of Baz Bahadur
</gallery>

===The Ghurid/Ghorid dynasty (1401–36)===
{{South Asia in 1525 CE||Location of the Malwa Sultanate and neighbouring South Asian polities circa 1525 CE, on the eve of the establishment of the [[Mughal Empire]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schwartzberg |first1=Joseph E. |title=A Historical atlas of South Asia |date=1978 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |page=39, 147|isbn=9780226742212|url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=076}}</ref>|{{Annotation|110|98|[[File:Rectangle (plain).svg|45px]]}}}}
#[[Dilawar Khan]] 1401–1406 
#[[Hoshang Shah|Husam-ud-Din Hoshang Shah]] 1406–1435 
#Taj-ud-Din Muhammad Shah I 1435–1436

===The Khalji dynasty (1436–1531)=== 
#[[Mahmud Khalji|Ala-ud-Din Mahmud Shah I]] 1436–1469 
#[[Ghiyath Shah|Ghiyas-ud-Din Shah]] 1469–1500 
#Nasir-ud-Din Shah 1500–1510 
#Shihab-ud-Din Mahmud Shah II 1510–1531

===The interregnum===
#Bahadur Shah (the sultan of Gujarat) 1531–1537  
#[[Humayun]] (Mughal emperor) 1535–1540

===The later rulers===
#Qadir Shah 1540–1542 
#Shuja'at Khan (the governor of Sher Shah Suri) 1542–1555 
#[[Baz Bahadur]] 1555–1561


'''<big>Princess of Malwa</big>''' 

The princess of Malwa was defined as the most beautiful princess during that era in India. She had jet black hair  and green eyes.  She was said to be a brave warrior who trained  among the army of men. She also fought for women rights.

== See also ==
* [[Malwa]]
* [[Mandu, Madhya Pradesh|Mandu]]
* [[List of Sultans of the Malwa Sultanate]]
* [[List of Sunni Muslim dynasties]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://coinindia.com/galleries-malwasultans.html Coins of the Malwa Sultanate]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:History of Malwa]]
[[Category:Former sultanates]]
[[Category:Islamic rule in the Indian subcontinent]]
[[Category:History of Ujjain]]