The Malwa Sultanate
Following the Battle of Gagron in 1519, much of the Sultanate came under the brief control of Maharana of Mewar Rana Sanga,
History
Dilawar Khan was an Afghan
or
Turco-Afghan governor of the
Delhi Sultanate. Dilawar Khan had ceased to pay tribute to Delhi after 1392.
In 1437, the Ghurid dynasty of Dilawar Khan was overthrown by
Mahmud Khalji, a
Ghilji Turko-Afghan descendant of the
Khalji dynasty of the
Delhi Sultanate.
After the Khiljis were deposed, it was ruled by Shujaat Khan, an Afghan governor of Malwa under Sher Shah Suri. Shujaat Khan's son,
Baz Bahadur declared independence in 1555, and ruled until the end of the Malwa Sultanate.
Ghurid dynasty
The sultanate of
Malwa was founded by
Dilawar Khan, the governor of Malwa for the
Delhi Sultanate, who asserted his independence in 1392 and founded a "Ghurid dynasty", 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, which was renamed Shadiabad (the city of joy). After his death, he was succeeded by his son Alp Khan, who assumed the title of Hoshang Shah.
The Muzaffarids under 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 at Dhar.
Khalji dynasty
The Ghurid dynasty, founded by Dilawar Khan Ghuri, was replaced by
Mahmud Khalji, 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 chief Rana Sanga of Mewar.[Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). The Delhi Sultanate, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp.173-86]
Muzaffarid Conquest
Since 1518, Mahmud Shah II was a vassal of the Gujarat Sultan. The last ruler Mahmud Shah II surrendered to Bahadur Shah, the sultan of Gujarat after the fort of Mandu fell to Bahadur on 25 May 1531.
[ During 1531 – 1537 the kingdom was annexed under the control of Bahadur Shah, though the Mughal Empire 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.
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 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: 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.[Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007) The Mughul Empire, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, , pp.112-3] It became the Malwa Subah (top-level province) of the Mughal empire, with seat at Ujjain and Abdullah Khan became its first governor.
Art
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[Khare, M.D. (ed.) (1981). Malwa through the Ages, Bhopal: the Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Government of M.P., pp.193-5] 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.[Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007). The Mughul Empire, Mumbai:Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, ,pp.804-5]
List of rulers
See also
-
Mandsaur
-
Mandu
-
Mewar–Malwa conflicts
-
History of Madhya Pradesh
- Kingdom of Malwa
Notes
External links
