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| Named for | Malavas |
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Malwa 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]
The name of the region is derived from the Malavas , an ancient Indic tribe which inhabited the area in antiquity. [4]
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 took 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] According to Pashaura Singh, the unpredictable power of the Sutlej River led to the toughening of the character of these newcomers. [7]
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. [8]
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. [9] 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. [10] When near Moga, he sent his family to safety in Kartarpur and whilst he remained in the Malwa region with his army. [10]
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. [11] Gurdwara Tambu Sahib was later constructed to commemorate his stay in the area. [11]
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. [12] During the Sikh Confederacy of the 18th century, the Bhangi Misl held sway. [6]
The local Punjabi dialect of the cultural region is known as Malwai, which differs from other adjacent Punjabic lects. [5] [13] [14] Malwai Giddha is a local dance form which evolved in the region. [15]
The Malwa region was historically sparsely populated in-comparison to the more occupied Majha and Doaba regions. [6]
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
Guru Hargobind was the sixth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He had become Guru at the young age of eleven, after the execution of his father, Guru Arjan, by the Mughal emperor Jahangir.
Baba Gurditta was the son of Guru Hargobind, and the father of Guru Har Rai of Sikhism. There is a gurudwara in Kiratpur Sahib, Punjab which is in remembrance of Baba Gurditta.
Moga district is one of the twenty-three districts in the state of Punjab, India. It became the 17th district of Punjab state on 24 November 1995, being cut from Faridkot district. Moga district is among the largest producers of wheat and rice in Punjab, India. People from Moga city and Moga district belong to the Malwa culture. The district is noted for being the homeland for a high-proportion of Indian Punjabi expatriates who emigrated abroad and their descendants, which has given it the nickname of "NRI district".
Doaba, also known as Bist Doab or the Jalandhar Doab, is the region of Punjab, India that lies between the Beas River and the Sutlej River. People of this region are given the demonym "Doabia". The dialect of Punjabi spoken in Doaba is called "Doabi". The term "Doaba" or "Doab" is derived from Persian دو آب meaning "land of two rivers". The river Sutlej separates Doaba from the Malwa region to its south and the river Beas separates Doaba from the Majha region to its north.
Majha is a region located in the central parts of the historical Punjab region, currently split between the republics of Pakistan and India. It extends north from the right banks of the river Beas, and reaches as far north as left bank of the river Ravi, constituting upper half of the Bari Doab.
Moga is a city in the Indian state of Punjab. It was made a part and headquarters of the Moga district on 24 November 1995, by the then Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar. Before becoming a district, Moga was a part of Faridkot District as a tehsil. Moga is situated on the National Highway 95. The area of Dharamkot block with 150 villages has been merged into Moga district, which falls under the jurisdiction of Ferozpur division.
Kotkapura is a historic city in Faridkot district, Punjab, India. some 15 km from Faridkot City, 50 km from Bathinda, 40 km from Moga and 30 km from Muktsar in the state of Punjab, India. It is the largest city in the Faridkot District and has a large cotton market. It takes around 15 minutes by bus from Faridkot, 4 hours by road from Chandigarh and 2 hours from Ludhiana, and 8 hours from New Delhi by train to reach the city. It is a central city on route to Ganganagar, Ludhiana, Bathinda, Firozpur, etc. KotkKapura takes its name from its founder, Nawab Kapur Singh, and the word 'Kot', meaning a small fort – literally the 'Fort of Kapura'. The city is known for its "Dhodha Sweet" and "Atta Chicken" both of which are exported outside India.
Sri Muktsar Sahib, often referred to as simply Muktsar, is a historical city and district headquarters in Punjab, India. The 2011 census of India put the total population of Sri Muktsar Sahib municipality at 117,085, making it the 14th largest city of Punjab, in terms of population. The second Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Angad was born in the village Matte-di-Sarai (Sarainaga) in the same district. Earlier the city was called Khidrana/Khidrane di dhab, the city was named Muktsar after the Battle of Muktsar in 1705 and the district headquarters in 1995. The government officially changed the name of the city to Sri Muktsar Sahib in 2012, though the city is still primarily referred to by its unofficial name – Muktsar.
Jat Sikh or Jatt Sikh is an ethnoreligious group, a subgroup of the Jat people whose traditional religion is Sikhism, originating from the Indian subcontinent. They are one of the dominant communities in the Punjab, India, owing to their large land holdings. They form an estimated 20–25% of the population of the Indian state of Punjab. They form at least half of the Sikh population in Punjab, with some sources estimating them to be about 60–66% appx. two-third of the Sikh population.
The Malavas or Malwas were an ancient Indian tribe. They are believed to have lived in the Punjab region at the time of Alexander's invasion in the 4th century BCE. Later, the Malavas migrated southwards to present-day Rajasthan, and ultimately to Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Their power gradually declined as a result of defeats against the Western Satraps, the Gupta emperor Samudragupta, and the Chalukya emperor Pulakeshin II.
Bidhi ChandChhina was a Sikh religious preacher and military commander, from Chhina Bidhi Chand village, 37 kilometers south of Amritsar and Chhina Bidhi Chand was part of Amritsar District not Lahore. His birth place temple is situated in his own village Chhina Bidhi Chand, which was built by the residents with the help of Baba Daya Singh. Baba Daya Singh laid foundation with his own hands. Every year on his birthday Baba Daya Singh, and now Baba Avtar Singh, would go to village Chhina Bidhi Chand and celebrate it there to date. He was a disciple of Guru Arjan and served Guru Hargobind for most of his life.
Puadh is a historic region in north India that comprises parts of present-day Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and the U.T. of Chandigarh, India. It has the Sutlej river in its north and covers the regions immediately south of the Ghaggar river. The people of the area are known as Puadhi and speak the Puadhi dialect of Punjabi. The capital cities of Puadh region are Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohali, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa Chandigarh, Nalagarh, Panchkula, Baddi, Ambala, Yamunanagar.
Attari, also spelled Atari, is a village of Amritsar district in the Punjab state of India, 3 km from the Indo-Pakistani border at Wagah. It is situated 25 km west of the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, and is the last Indian station on the rail route connecting Lahore, Pakistan with the Indian capital Delhi. Attari village was the native village of Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala, one of the generals in the Army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Punjab is a state in northwestern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the north and northeast, Haryana to the south and southeast, and Rajasthan to the southwest; by the Indian union territories of Jammu and Kashmir to the north and Chandigarh to the east. To the west, it shares an international border with the identically named Pakistani province of Punjab, and as such is sometimes referred to as East Punjab or Indian Punjab for disambiguation purposes. The state covers an area of 50,362 square kilometres, which is 1.53% of India's total geographical area, making it the 19th-largest Indian state by area out of 28 Indian states. With over 27 million inhabitants, Punjab is the 16th-largest Indian state by population, comprising 23 districts. Punjabi, written in the Gurmukhi script, is the most widely spoken and the official language of the state. The main ethnic group are the Punjabis, with Sikhs (57.7%) and Hindus (38.5%) forming the dominant religious groups. The state capital, Chandigarh, is a union territory and also the capital of the neighbouring state of Haryana. Three tributaries of the Indus River — the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi — flow through Punjab.
Malwai is an eastern dialect of the Punjabi language, spoken in the Malwa region of Punjab.
Lakhpur is a village near Sahni (Lakhpur-Sahni), Tehsil Phagwara, Kapurthala district, in Punjab, India.
Guru Arjan was the fifth of the ten total Sikh Gurus. He compiled the first official edition of the Sikh scripture called the Adi Granth, which later expanded into the Guru Granth Sahib. He is regarded as the first of the two Gurus martyred in the Sikh faith.
The Mīnās were a heretical sect of Sikhs that followed Prithi Chand, the eldest son of Guru Ram Das, after his younger brother Guru Arjan was selected by the Guru to succeed him. Prithi Chand would vigorously contest this, attracting a portion of Sikhs to his side who followers of Guru Arjan referred to as ਮੀਣੇ mīṇe, meaning "charlatans," "dissemblers," or "scoundrels." They sustained their opposition to the orthodox line of Gurus through the seventeenth century, and upon Guru Gobind Singh's founding of the Khalsa in 1699, they were declared by him, as well as by Khalsa rahitnamas, as one of the Panj Mel, or five reprobate groups, that a Sikh must avoid. They are occasionally referred to in the more neutral terms Sikhān dā chhotā mel or as the Miharvān sampraday in scholarship.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Punjab:
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
The other important Punjabi dialects are Malwa, Doabi, Powadhi, Dogri, and Bhattiani.
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.
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