The Malavas (Brahmi script: π«ππ«πΈππ― MΔlava) or Malwas were an ancient tribe and confederation. They are a federation attested in various states in North and Central India. The modern regions of Malwa (Punjab) and Malwa region in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are eponyms attributed to them.
The Malava era, which later came to be known as Vikram Samvat, may have been first used by them.
Vedic Era
The Malavas are a tribe mentioned in several ancient Indian texts, including the
Mahabharata and
Mahabhashya. According to the
Mahabharata, the hundred sons of the
Madra kekaya king Ashvapati, the father of Savitri were known as the
Malavas, after the name of their mother, Malavi.
They are later regarded as a Gana which functions as a republic or confederation. Panini mentions a group of tribes called ayudhajivi samghas (those who live by the profession of arms) including the Malavas and the Kshudrakas his sutra V.3.117.
Macedonian Empire
The location of the original homeland of the Malavas is not certain, but modern scholars generally connect them with the "
Mallian Campaign" or "Malloi" mentioned in the ancient Greek accounts, which describe Alexander's war against them. At the time of Alexander's invasion in the 4th century BCE, the Malloi lived in present-day
Punjab region, in the area to the north of the confluence of the
Ravi River and the
Chenab River rivers.
Territorial Extent
The Malavas extent and timeline is not fully elucidate. During the time of their conflicts with Alexander, they were attested in Punjab, however their presence in other regions at that time is not known. Furthermore, there are no literary or epigraphical mention of the Malavas during the
Maurya Empire. The Malava gana resurfaced again three centuries later when they began to issues thousands of coins in
Uniara in
Tonk district near
Jaipur, which likely represented Malavanagara (present-day Nagar Fort) their historical capital. These coins bear the legend Malavanam jayah (lit.β'victory of the Malavas'), and have been dated between 250 BCE and 250 CE during the Saka Era. 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 unknown if they claimed the region prior or relocated here following their conflicts with entities such as Macedonians, Mauryans, Indo-Greek, or
Indo-Scythians during their occupation of Punjab. Following their resurgence in Malavanagar, the Malavas ultimately claimed the
Malwa region in central India: this region was named after them some time after the 2nd century CE. Some historians attribute the Malavas, originally residing in the Punjab region, migrating to Central India/Rajasthan due to the Huna invasion.
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, made by
Nahapana's viceroy
Ushavadata:
Conflict with the Guptas
In the 4th century CE, during the reign of the
Gupta Empire 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 who ruled in the Malwa region may have been a Malava clan, and may have been responsible for 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 ζ©θε©, "Mo-la-p'o")
in present-day Gujarat, describing Kheta (
Kheda) 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, 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 country (southern Gujarat) to check the advance of the Gurjara-Pratiharas into Malava.
Present-day Madhya Pradesh
Although the region that ultimately came to be known as
Malwa included
Ujjain, the post-Gupta records distinguish between the territory of the Malavas and the region around Ujjain.
Banabhatta's
Kadambari (7th century) describes
Vidisha 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 Rajyavardhana 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, who states that Junayd, the Arab governor of
Sindh, raided Uzain (Ujjain) and al-Malibah (Malava) around 725 CE.
From the 10th century onward, historical records use the term "Malavas" to refer to the Paramara dynasty, who ruled the present-day Malwa region. It is probable that the Paramaras were descended from the ancient Malavas. However, they came to be called "Malavas" after they started ruling the Malwa region, which was named after the ancient Malavas. In the kayastha-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.
Malavagan 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
Malavagans era. Most probably this era was mentioned as the
Vikrama era for the first time in the Dholpur stone inscription of Chaitravamasakulam ruler Chaitarmahasena in 898 CE.
Rulers
-
Soma, under whom the Malavas re-asserted their independence from the Western Satraps after the death of Rudrasena I
-
Vishvavarman circa 423 CE.
-
Bandhuvarman, his son and feudatory of Kumaragupta.
See also
[Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Vol 3 p.72]
Bibliography
