The Muzaffarid Dynasty of Malwa or Malwa Sultanate ruled over the Malwa area from 1392 to 1562, including the present-day Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and south-eastern Rajasthan. Dilawar Khan, an Afghan governor of the Delhi Sultanate, established it in 1392. He belonged to the Ghurid dynasty. After it, other dynasties like the Khalji dynasty etc ruled this region whereas the last Sultanate of Muzaffarid dynasty of Malwa was Baz Bahadur. In this article, we will discuss the Muzaffarid Dynasty in Malwa which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Geographical area of Muzaffarid Dynasty in Malwa

Muzaffarid Dynasty in Malwa - Background

• Dilawar Khan Ghuri (from him Ghurid dynasty named), the governor of Malwa for the Delhi Sultanate, established it in 1392 when he stopped paying tribute to Delhi.
• Later on, he declared independence in 1401 following Timur's conquest and the dissolution of the Delhi Sultanate.
• The new kingdom's capital was initially Dhar, but it was soon moved to Mandu, which was renamed Shadiabad (the city of joy).
• He was succeeded by his son Alp Khan, who took the title of Hoshang Shah after his death.
• The Ghurid dynasty, which was created by Dilawar Khan Ghuri, was ousted in 1436 by Mahmud Shah I, who declared himself king.
• Mahmud Shah I founded the Khalji dynasty, which governed Malwa until 1531.
• Ghiyas-ud-Din, Mahmud Khalji I's eldest son, succeeded him.
• A fight for the succession between Ghiyas-ud-Din’s two sons plagued his final days, with Nasir-ud-Din triumphing over Ala-ud-Din and rising to the throne in 1500.
• After Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat captured the fort of Mandu in 1531, Mahmud Shah II surrendered to him.
• The kingdom was ruled by Bahadur Shah from 1531 to 1537, however, it was briefly seized by the Mughal emperor Humayun in 1535-36.
• In 1537, an ex-officer of the previous Khalji dynasty rulers, Qadir Shah, reclaimed control of a portion of Malwa.
• Sher Shah Suri, however, captured the Malwa in 1542, beating him and appointing Shuja'at Khan as governor. In 1555, his son, Baz Bahadur, declared independence.

Important Rulers of Muzaffarid Dynasty in Malwa

Hoshang Shah (1406–1435 CE)

• Hoshang Shah was the Malwa Sultanate and the first official ruler of the Muzaffarid Dynasty.
• He was also known as Alp Khan before becoming the monarch of Malwa.
• Dilawar Khan Ghori, Hoshang Shah’s father, was a member of Sultan Firozshah Tughlaq Delhi's court.
• He had effectively arrived in Mandu in 1401 as the first King of Malwa, while not declaring himself an independent king.
• Later on, Hoshang Shah came to power and declared complete independence from the Sultans of Delhi. For thirty years, he ruled from 1406 to 1435 AD.
• Sultan Muzaffar Shah of the Muzaffarid dynasty of Gujarat invaded the Hoshang soon after his accession.
• Hoshang Shah was defeated during the invasion and taken prisoner by Muzaffar Shah.
• But later on, Hoshang Shah's kingdom was returned and he moved his capital from Dhar to Mandu.
• He followed the policy of religious toleration.
• Hoshang Shah died in 1435 AD and is buried in Mandu.
• The city of Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, which was named after Hoshang Shah, is now officially known as Narmadapuram.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Hoshang Shah (1406 – 1435 CE)

Mahmud Khalji (1436 – 1469 CE)

• Mahmud Khalji was the Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate between 1436 and 1469.
• He was a minister of Hoshang Shah. He killed him and succeeded to the throne.
• The Malwa Sultanate attained its pinnacle during his reign.
• He was a restless and ambitious ruler who fought nearly all of his neighbours.
• He was at constant war with Rana Kumbha of Mewar and Gujarat sultanate.
• A battle of Mandavgad took place between Rana Kumbha and Mahmud Khalji in 1437 in which Rana Kumbha defeated and captured Mehmud Khalji.
• A series of battles between Mahmud Khalji of Malwa and Rana Kumbha of Mewar known as Mandalgarh and Banas Battles also took place between 1442 and 1446.
• Mahmud Khalji was a benefactor of education and is claimed to have built numerous educational structures around his kingdom. The madrasa Ashrafi Mahal is one of them.
• He had keen interest in art and architecture as well.
• In addition to the Jama Masjid and the Tomb of Hoshang, he built a number of monuments at Mandu.
• He built a victory tower to commemorate his victory over Raja Kumbha of Mewar is one of the most remarkable of these.
• In 1445, Mahmud Khilji built a hospital in Mandu. The hospital is claimed to have been meticulously planned, with separate wards and attendants for each patient.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Mahmud Khalji (1436 – 1469 CE)

Ghiyas-ud-din (1469 - 1500 CE)

• Ghiyas Uddin was the eldest son of Mahmud Shah I and was a military leader for his father.
• When his father died in 1469, he was given the title of Shah and he ruled from 1469 to 1500 CE.
• He was devoutly religious and avoided intoxicating beverages and religiously banned meals.
• He constructed the Jahaz Mahal palace and established a culturally significant court.
• He was also known for being an eccentric art collector.
• Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi (Book of Delights), for example, is a cooking book published for the Sultan between 1495 and 1505 and elaborately illustrated in a combination of Persian and pre-Islamic Indian styles.
• The sultan, servants, landscapes and buildings, as well as food preparation, are among the fifty photos in the book.
• He was a follower of Moinuddin Chishti and is thought to have built the Buland Darwaza in the Ajmer Sharif Dargah in his honour.
• Ghiyasuddin's court had 12,000 ladies, including musicians, dancers, and wrestlers.
• Ghiyath was passionate about female education and established a Madrasa in Sarangpur to educate the women of his court.
• The royal princesses were taught by tutors, and over seventy women were well-versed in the Quran.
• During the end moments of Ghiyas Uddin life, his eldest son Nasir-ud-Din Shah, who had led the army, and his youngest son Ala-ud-Din were at conflict with each other.
• Ghiyasuddin was found dead and it is widely assumed that his son Nasir-ud-Din and successor poisoned him.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Ghiyas-ud-Din (1469 – 1500 CE)

Mahmud Shah II (1510-1531 CE)

• Mahmud Shah II was the ruler of the Khalji’s of Malwa who ruled till 1531.
• His tenure was around twenty-one years.
• The predecessor of Mahmud Shah II was Ghiyas-ud-Din and whose last days were foiled by a struggle for the throne between his two sons.
• In the year 1531, Mahmud Shah II was surrounded by Bahadur Shah who was the Sultan of Gujarat.
• After that, the fort of Mandu fell to Bahadur on 25 May 1531.
• With the fall of Mandu fort, Bahadur Shah ruled the kingdom from 1531 until 1537 CE.
• Qadir Shah, a descendant of the previous Khalji dynasty of Malwa, reclaimed control of a portion of the former kingdom in 1537 CE.
• Mahmud Shah II’s falus square coins are one of the important features of his reign and these coins are found today also.

Baz Bahadur (1551- 1561 CE)

• Bayazid Baz Bahadur Khan was the last Sultan who ruled from 1551 to 1561 AD.
• He succeeded the Shuja'at Khan on the throne of the Muzaffarid Dynasty of Malwa.
• He did not care about his empire and didn’t keep a strong army.
• He didn't have a large army, so when Akbar dispatched his officer Adham Khan to take Malwa, he fled with his treasures and harem.
• The Mughals conquered him in the Battle of Sarangpur in 1561 and kidnapped his Hindu queen Roopmati, who committed suicide as a result.
• Adham Khan's desire for Rani Roopmati appears to be one of the grounds for his attack.
• When Rani Roopmati knew of Mandu's fall, she poisoned herself to death and Baz Bahadur took refuge in Khandesh.
• Later on, Baz Bahadur surrendered to Akbar at Nagaur in 1570 and joined his army.
• Despite being a Muslim, he was strongly drawn to Hinduism.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Baz Bahadur (1551- 1561 CE)

Painting during Muzaffarid Dynasty of Malwa

• During the Sultanate, several outstanding illustrated manuscripts were produced.
• During Mahmud Shah I's rule in Mandu, an illustrated manuscript of the Kalpa Sutra (1439) was made.
• The most intriguing is a manuscript of the Nimat Nama, a treatise on the art of cookery, which contains many portraits of Ghiyas-ud-Din Shah yet has Nasir-ud-Din Shah on the colophon.
• The Miftah-ul-Fuzala, a dictionary of rare words and the Bustan (1502) which was painted by Haji Mahmud, and the Aja'ib-us-San'ati are additional significant illustrated manuscripts from this period.

Architecture during Muzaffarid Dynasty of Malwa

• The sultanate era monuments are almost entirely clustered in Mandu city.
• Early monuments were built using the materials from earlier Hindu temples, following Islamic plan and customs.
• However, nothing appears to have been done to conceal or change their Hindu appearance.
• The Kamal Maula Masjid (1400 AD), the Lal Masjid (1405 AD), Dilawar Khan's Masjid (1405 AD), and the Masjid of Malik Mughis (1452 AD) in Mandu are notable examples.
• The Mandu fort was built over the ruins of the old fortification by Hoshang Shah.
• The second and classical era of Malwa architecture began with him.
• Mahmud Shah I constructed Hoshang Shah's tomb.
• Later mausoleums, such as Darya Khan's tomb, Dai ka Mahal, and the Chhappan Mahal, followed the same pattern.
• The Jahaz Mahal, long structural complex situated between two lakes, named as Ship-Palace. Its basic style is consistent with Ghiyas-ud-Din Khalji's personality.

Jahaz Mahal

• Baz Bahadur's palace is a lonely structure on the side of a hill overlooking Riwa Kund.
• According to an inscription, Nasir-ud-Din Shah was the one who built this monument.
• Hoshang Shah's Tomb is a marble structure built in honour of ruler Hoshang Shah.
• The tomb was so exquisite that Shah Jahan sent four of his architects to design the Taj Mahal before it was built.
• This Tomb is regarded as one of the oldest marble edifices and the most refined example of Afghan architecture.

Hoshang Shah's Tomb

Conclusion

The Malwa Sultanate of Muzaffarid Dynasty was a late medieval kingdom presumably of Turkic origin, in the Malwa region of India from 1392 to 1562 AD. Dilawar Khan was the first major ruler of this dynasty and belonged to the Ghurid dynasty. Rulers of Malwa had constant conflicts with Muzaffarid of Gujrats. Their contribution to the art and architecture of medieval India is prominent in terms of forts, palaces, tombs and masjids.