Kingdom of Malwa

The Kingdom of Malwa was a kingdom in Central India during the Early Mediaeval Era. It was established by Siyaka, a Rashtrakuta vassal who declared his independence in 647, and ruled by the Paramara dynasty until 1305 when kingdom was annexed by the Delhi Sultanate. In was administered as a province until 1401, when it regained its independence.

Malwa had been ruled by the Rashtrakutas as a vassal state until 948 when it declared its independence under the House of Paramara. It existed as a sovereign state until it was conquered by the Delhi Sultanate in 1305. In 1401, the governor of Malwa declared his independence and established the Sultanate of Malwa under the House of Khalji which reigned till its conquest by Akbar, the Shahenshah of Hindustan in 1562.

Background
Harsha of the Kannauj Empire had conquered the Kingdom of Malwa around 625 of which it remained a part until his death 647. Following this the history of Malwa is mostly unknown. In 756 AD, the Gurjara Empire conquered Malwa. In 786, the Rashtrakuta Empire conquered the region from the Gurjaras. During this period, Malwa was made a vassal kingdom under the House of Paramara.

Early expansion
In 947 AD, Siyaka, the ruler of Malwa and vassal of the Rashtrakuta Empire declared his independence. His son Munja defeated Sambhar, Mewar, Tripuri, Nadol and Gurjaratra. However, in 998, the Chalukya Kingdom of Kalyani defeated and conquered the southern territories of Malwa. His brother succeeded him and defeated Kalyani kingdom and took back the lost territories. His grandson Bhoja (r. 1010–1055) made extensive conquests. He made an alliance between the Kingdom of Tripuri, the Chola empire and the Kingdom of Malwa and defeated the Kingdom of Kalyani. In 1048, the Kingdom of Kalyani invaded and sacked the capital of Malwa, and forced to cede territories up till the Narmada.

Decline
After his death, he was succeeded by his son. Jayasimha I was defeated by an alliance of Gujarat and Tripuri. Jayasimha's successor and Bhoja's brother Udayaditya was defeated by Chamundaraja, his vassal at Vagada. He repulsed an invasion by the King of Gujarat, Karna, with help from his allies. Udayaditya's eldest son Lakshmadeva has been credited with defeating the Kingdom of Tripuri. Udayaditya's younger son Naravarman faced several defeats, losing to the Kingdom of Bundelkhand and the Gurjara king Jayasimha Siddharaja. By the end of his reign, Vijayapala had carved out an independent kingdom to the north-east of Ujjain.

Interregnum
Yashovarman lost control of the capital Dhara to Jayasimha Siddharaja. His successor Jayavarman I regained control of Dhara, but soon lost it to an usurper named Ballala. The Gurjara king Kumarapala defeated Ballala around 1150 AD, supported by his feudatories the Naddula ruler Alhana and the Abu Paramara chief Yashodhavala. Malwa then became a province of the Gurjara kingdom. A minor branch of the Paramaras, who styled themselves as Mahakumaras, ruled the area around Bhopal during this time.

Re-establishment of sovereignty
Nearly two decades later, Jayavarman's son Vindhyavarman defeated the Gurjara king Mularaja II, and re-established the sovereignty of Malwa. During his reign, Malwa faced repeated invasions from the Hoysalas and the Yadavas of Devagiri. He was also defeated by the Gurjara general Kumara. Despite these setbacks, he was able to restore the Paramara power in Malwa before his death.

Vindhyavarman's son Subhatavarman invaded Gujarat, and plundered the territory. But he was ultimately forced to retreat by the Gurjara feudatory Lavana-Prasada. His son Arjunavarman I also invaded Gujarat, and defeated Jayanta-simha (or Jaya-simha), who had usurped the throne for a brief period. He was defeated by Yadava general Kholeshvara in Lata.

Arjunavarman was succeeded by Devapala, who was the son of Harishchandra, a Mahakumara (chief of a Paramara branch). He continued to face struggles against Gujarat and the Yadavas. The Sultan of Delhi Iltutmish captured Bhilsa during 1233-34 AD, but Devapala defeated the Sultanate's governor and regained control of Bhilsa. He was killed by Vagabhata of Ranthambhor, who suspected him of plotting his murder in connivance with the Delhi Sultan.

During the reign of Devapala's son Jaitugideva, the power of Malwa greatly declined because of invasions from the Yadava king Krishna, the Delhi Sultan Balban, and the Vaghela prince Visala-deva. Devapala's younger son Jayavarman II also faced attacks from these three powers. Jayavarman II moved the Malwa capital from Dhara to the hilly Mandapa-Durga (present-day Mandu), which offered a better defensive position.

Arjunavarman II, the successor of Jayavarman II, proved to be a weak ruler. He faced rebellion from his minister. In the 1270s, the Yadava ruler Ramachandra invaded Malwa, and in the 1280s, the Ranthambhor ruler Hammira also raided Malwa. Arjuna's successor Bhoja II also faced an invasion from Hammira.

Annexation by the Delhi Sultanate and Aftermath
Mahalakadeva, the last known Paramara king, was defeated and killed by the army of Ayn al-Mulk Multani, a general of Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate, in 1305 AD.

The Sultanate of Delhi annexed Malwa following its invasion and it remained a province of the sultanate for nearly a century until 1401, when the governor of Malwa declared his independence from the Sultan and re-established the independent Kingdom of Malwa.