Malwa, historical province and physiographic region of west-central India, comprising a large portion of western and central Madhya Pradesh state and parts of southeastern Rajasthan and northern Maharashtra states. Strictly, the name is confined to the hilly tableland bounded by the Vindhya Range to the south, but it has been extended southward to include the Narmada River valley and the Satpura Range.
Traditionally a land of plenty, it is an area of fertile black soil drained by the Chambal, Sipra, Kali Sindh, and Parbati rivers. The region is covered with savanna-type vegetation on the plateau and moist deciduous forests in the southern part, generally on the spurs of the Vindhya and Satpura ranges. Teak is a commercially important tree. Other natural resources of the area are lac (used to make shellac), dyeing and tanning materials, gums, fruits, sabai grass (a valuable fibre plant), and honey.
Agriculture dominates the regional economy, and the cultivation of cotton, jowar (grain sorghum), wheat, corn (maize), gram (chickpeas), sugarcane, millet, and peanuts (groundnuts) is important. The Malwa region also has a variety of mineral deposits, including coal, manganese, mica, iron ore, copper, bauxite, limestone, clays, calcite, zinc, and graphite, most of which are commercially exploited.
Industries include the manufacture of textiles, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, as well as cotton ginning and pressing, food processing, and hand-loom weaving. Malwa’s industrial centres include Ujjain, Indore, Bhopal, Khandwa, Ratlam, and Neemuch. Small-scale and cottage industries are more important at the local level. The region long has been known for its production of fine muslin and chintz at Chanderi and Sironj. Malwa is well connected to the country’s rail and road networks.
As early as the 2nd century bce the area was known as Avanti; it was held by the Mauryan and Gupta dynasties. The first recorded dynasty was the Paramaras, a Rajput (warrior caste) clan, who ruled (800–1200 ce) from their capital at Ujjain and, later, at Dhar. Invaded by the Muslims in 1235, the province became a strong independent state (1401–1531) with its capital at Mandu. Later annexed by the Mughals, it was one of the first provinces to be conquered. The Marathas entered Malwa in 1724 under the peshwa (chief minister) Baji Rao, with the help of the Scindias, Holkars, and Puars, and Malwa became the headquarters of the Pindaris, or irregular plunderers. In 1817 the British restored order.
Malwa became a part of the Central Provinces in 1861. Malwa Agency, a subdivision of the British Central India Agency, was created in 1895; it consisted of the princely states of Alirajpur, Barwani, Dhar, Jaora, Jhabua, Jobat, and Kathimau, and several petty states. Neemuch was its headquarters. In 1948 Malwa was formally divided among the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.