Malwa (Punjab)

Malwa is a geographical region in the south of Punjab state in India. It is located between south of the Sutlej river, north of the Ghaggar river, east of Pakistan, and west of the Sivalik Hills.

Etymology
The name of the region is derived from the Malavas, an ancient Indic tribe which inhabited the area in antiquity.

History
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. Later-on during the Mughal Empire, Ferozepur acted as the capital of the Multan subah (province) according to the Ain-i-Akbari. The Sidhu clan of the Jats wielded power and influence in the local area.

The sixth Sikh guru, 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. 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. When near Moga, he sent his family to safety in Kartarpur and whilst he remained in the Malwa region with his army. 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. During the Sikh Confederacy of the 18th century, the Bhangi Misl held sway.

Culture
The local Punjabi dialect of the cultural region is known as Malwai, which differs from other adjacent Punjabic lects. Malwai Giddha is a local dance form which evolved in the region.

Demographics
The Malwa region was historically sparsely populated in-comparison to the more occupied Majha and Doaba regions.

Districts of Malwa
The following districts are classified as Malwa (note that some of these districts' areas may overlap with the neighbouring Poadh region): Parts of these districts also speak Malwai Punjabi
 * Kalawali Mandi area of Sirsa
 * Area north of Ghaggar river Fatehabad