# Malwa Subah

The Malwa Subah (Persian: صوبه ملوا) was one of the original twelve Subahs (provinces) of the Mughal Empire, including Gondwana, from 1568–1743. Its seat was Ujjain. It shared borders with the autonomous and tributary chiefdoms in the east, as well as Berar, Khandesh, Ahmadnagar, Gujarat, Ajmer, Agra, and Illahabad subahs.

## History

Before becoming part of the Mughal Empire, the Malwa region was an independent sultanate. Its last ruler, Baz Bahadur, was defeated and its capital, Mandu, was conquered in 1562 by the Mughal Emperor Akbar’s army led by Abdullah Khan, the Uzbeg. He was appointed its first governor. In 1564 he was replaced by Qara Bahadur Khan. In 1568 it became a subah of Mughal empire. One of its last governors was Sawai Jai Singh, who was the governor of the Subah for three times, from 1714-17, from 1729-30 and from 28 September 1732 to 4 August 1737. The Mughal hold on Malwa ended in 1743, when Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao obtained the formal grant of Naib-subahdari (deputy governorship) of Malwa.

## Administrative divisions

Malwa Subah comprised 12 sarkars (districts): Ujjain, Chanderi, Raisen, Garha Mandla, Sarangpur, Bijagarh, Mandu, Handia, Nandurbar, Mandsaur, Gagron and Kotri-Parava. These sarkars are further divided into 301 parganas. The city of Ujjain was the capital of the subah.
The sarkars (districts) and the parganas (tehsils) of Malwa Subah were:
| Sarkar | Pargana |
| Ujjain | 10 parganas, Ujjain was the capital |
| Raisen | 32 parganas |
| Garha Mandla | 57 parganas |
| Chanderi | 61 parganas |
| Sarangpur | 24 parganas |
| Bijagarh | 29 parganas |
| Mandu | 16 parganas |
| Handia | 23 parganas |
| Nandurbar | 7 parganas |
| Mandsaur | 17 parganas |
| Gagron | 12 parganas |
| Kotri-Pirawa | 10 parganas |

## Mughal Subahdars (Governors) of Malwa (1561–1737)

| Personal Name | Reign |
| Conquest of Malwa from Baz Bahadur by the Mughal Emperor Akbar ||
| Adham Khan Koka | 1561 |
| Pir Muhammad Khan | 1561 |
| Malwa retaken by Baz Bahadur ||
| Abdullah Khan Uzbek | 1562 – 1564 |
| Abdullah Khan Uzbek revolts; Malwa retaken by Emperor Akbar ||
| Muhammad Quli Khan Barlas | 1564 – 1566 |
| Shihab-ud-din Ahmed Khan | 1566 – 1568 |
| Qutb-ud-din Muhammad Khan | 1568 – ? |
| Muzaffar Khan Turbati | 1573? – ? |
| Shihab-ud-din Ahmed Khan | 1574? – 1577? |
| Qutb-ud-din Muhammad Khan | 1577? – ? |
| Mirza Aziz Koka Khan-e-Azam | 1578? – 1590 |
| Ahmed | 1590 |
| Sultan Murad Mirza | 1590 – 1594 |
| Mirza Shahrukh | 1594 – 1600 |
| Sultan Daniyal Mirza | 1600 – 1604 |
| Pir Khan Lodhi Khan Jahan II | 1627 – ? |
| Abdullah Khan Firoz Jang | 1657 – ? |
| Mukhtiyar Khan | 1697 – 1701 |
| Abu Nasr Khan Shaista Khan II | 1701 – 1704 |
| Sultan Bidar Bakht | 1704 – 1706 |
| Ikhlas Khan Khan-e-Aalam | 1706 – 1707 |
| Nijabat Khan | 1707 |
| Abdullah Khan | 1707 |
| Sawai Mirza Raja Jai Singh II | 1714 – 1717 |
| Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan, Nizam-ul-Mulk | 1719 – 1722 |
| Girdhar Bahadur | 1722 – 1723 |
| Azim-ullah Khan | 1723 – 1725 |
| Girdhar Bahadur | 1725 – 1728 |
| Sawai Mirza Raja Jai Singh II | 1729 – 1730 |
| Muhammad Khan Bangash Ghazanfar Jang | 1730 – 1732 |
| Sawai Mirza Raja Jai Singh II | 1732 – 1737 |
| Conquered by Marathas under Baji Rao I in 1737 ||