Malwa is an ancient Janpada of India. The history of this Janpada is very significant and full of various events. There had been many ups and downs in the history of this region. In the ancient times Avantika was the capital of this Janpada. In the Buddhist period this was an important Janpada out of the 16 Janpadas of that era. Ashoka (Samrat Ashoka) and Vikramaditya had been the viceroys (provincial heads) of this provincial capital. Chandra Gupta II also made this city as his capital in the 5th Century A.D. This city again received its honour at the time of the rule of Parmar dynasty. Its old honour was restored under the rule of King Bhoja of that dynasty. "According to the Indian astronomers this is the zero point of longitude (Nabhikendra) the prestige as is now given to the city Greenwich". According to history the name Malwa of this region was attributed due to the settling of Malava tribe who were the native of North Western India, living on the bank of river Ravi. Panini has mentioned them as a warrior tribe or a martial race. They were expert in warfare. Nakul one of the Pandava brothers defeated them at the time when Yudhishthira performed 'Rajsuyagya'. In the Mahabharata war they were on the side of Koravas and fought against Pandavas. When Alexander invaded India they fought with his army bravely but were defeated. After their defeat they came to Avantika region via Rajputana and settled in great number. On the basis of this tribe this region was called Milwa."
The historical account of Malwa Janpada is described in detail in the History and Culture of the Indian People's, volume II 'The Age of Imperial Unity". "The name of the Malvas, like that of the Malaya mountain range is probably derived from the Dravidian word 'malai', meaning hill. In literary and epigraphic records, the name is applied to a number of communities and territories in different parts of central, western and north western India. In the forth century B.C. when Alexander invaded India, the Malavas lived in the land lying north of the confluence of the Ravi and the Chenab and were probably confederated with Kshudrakas who lived about the Mantgomery District of the Punjab. The army of the two people consisted of 90,000 foot soldiers, 10,000 cavalry and 900 war chariots. The association of the Malavas and the Kshudrkas is also known to the Mahabharata and the early grammarians, who class these tribes amongst the ayudhajivins, "those who live by the profession of arms". From the Punjab, the Malavas or at least a large section of the tribe, migrated to Rajputana. This movement may have begun during the Indo-Geek occupation of the Punjab, but seems to have continued down to the seythian conquest of that country. The Malavas are the earliest Indian people who are definitely known to have used an era which has been identified with the so-called Vikrama-Samvat of 58 B.C. According to some scholars, the Malavas themselves started the era to commemorate some important event in their history probably the foundation of their republic in Rajsthan. But, as suggested above, it is more probable that they adopted the use of the drangian era of 58 B.C., from the Sakas in the Punjab and carried it to their settlement in Rajasthan. The Drangian era, used but the Mälvas in Rajasthan, soon came to be known as Krita probably after the Illustration Malava leader of that name, who secured independence of his tribe from foreign yoke. In Rajsthan the capital of the Malava republic was Malavanagara. An inscription dated V.S.1043 (A.D.936) has been found in Karkota-nagar, often applied to the city. Malava coins are somewhat similar to the coins of the Nagar of Padmavati with whom they may have been closely connected. This modern Karkota Nagar in Uniyara in the former Jaipur State, lying about 25 miles to east of Bundi.... But soon after the decline of Kushanas, they appear to have extended their power in different directions, this is suggested by the use of the Krita era in the records of the third and fourth centuries, discovered in Bharatpur, Kotah and Udaipur States. According to the Nanda (Udaipur State) inscriptions of A.D. 226, freedom and prosperity had returned to the country of the Malavas before that date owing to the brilliant achievements of a Malava chief whose name has been fully deciphered. The reference seems to be the success of the Malava people chiefly against the Sakas. Both the powers Sakas and Mälavas had soon submit to the Guptas. While however, the Saka house was extirpated by the conquerors, the Aulikaras, apparently a Målva dynasty, flourished at Dasapur (Modern Mandasor, formerly in the realm of the Kardamakas) under the vassalage of the Gupta emperors.
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