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Maitraka, a Rajput dynasty, thought to be of the Bala tribe, whose capital was Vallabhi in the Saurashtra peninsula (now modern Gujarat). The final ruler was King Siladitya VI who perished when the city was destroyed by invaders from the west, possibly a Muslim force from Sind. His wife, Pushpavati, on a religious pilgrimage in Mewar at the time, gave birth to a son shortly after. This was GUHIL who founded the GUHILOT Dynasty (ca AD 569), forerunner of the Mewar Dynasty.
Majli Didi, (Hindi) a pet name for one's middle elder sister.
Makar, Kunwar, one of the nine sons of Rana LAKSHA of Sisoda who accompanied their father to Chittor when it was attacked by Sultan ALA-UD-DIN KHILJI in 1303. He was one of the hundreds of Mewar warriors killed during the battle.
makara, (Sanskrit) a sea monster similar to a crocodile, used in Hindu art and architecture, especially on gateways.
Makwanas: see JHALAS.
Malava: see MALWA.
Maldas Sehri, a suburb of Udaipur.
Maldeo Songara, the Rajput chief of JALORE, a western district of Marwar; a vassal of the Delhi Sultanate, whom Sultan ALA-UD-DIN KHILJI placed in charge of Chittorgarh, following his successful sack of the fort (1303), replacing his own son Khizr Khan, who feared for his life at the hands of the regrouping Mewar nobles. The young Maharana HAMIR SINGH I, in exile, was intent on retaking the capital. In a ploy to satisfy Hamir, Maldeo gave the young Maharana his daughter in marriage. However, hating her father for being a traitor, she plotted with Hamir to overthrow him. Hamir and a small force attacked Chittor, killed his new father-in-law and retook the ancient capital of Mewar. Songara is a sub-clan of the Chauhan Rajputs.
Malhar Rao (1693-1766), a Maratha chieftain and founder of the Holkar clan, who became the owner of much land in Mewar. He rose from peasant origins by his own ability and, in 1724, the Peshwa (Prime Minister) of the Maratha state, BAJI RAO I, gave him command of 500 horse (horsemen). He soon became the Peshwa's chief general in Malwa, with headquarters at Maheshwar and Indore in MALWA. At his death (1766) he was the virtual ruler of Malwa.
Maloni Choti (Gangapur), a district 35 km. from Bhilwara; later renamed Gangapur after Ganga Bai, the Maratha Mahadaji Sindhia's wife who died there. 'Choti' is Hindi for 'little'.
Malpura, the estate (jagir) of the grandson of Maharana LAKHA (1382-1421).
Malwa, (Sanskrit: Malava), a former kingdom on Mewar's eastern border, today comprising a large portion of Madhya Pradesh and parts of southeastern Rajasthan. Its name comes from the kingdom's extensive plain of rich black loam ('mal'). Strictly, the name is confined to the hilly tableland bounded on the south by the Vindhya Range, but it has been extended to include the Narmada Valley. The area was known since the 2nd century BC as Avanti, and was, at various times, the domain of the Maurya dynasty (4th-3rd century BC); the Sungas (185-73 BC) who ruled Eastern Malwa; the Andhras (Satavahanas; 1st century BC-3rd century AD); the Khsatrapas (2nd-4th century AD); north of the Narmada River, the Gupta Empire (4th-5th century AD); and the Nagas (2nd-4th century AD). Malwa was annexed by Emperor Harsa (Harsha) of North India during the first part of the 7th century AD. The first recorded dynasty were the Paramaras, a Rajput warrior clan that ruled (800-1200) from their capital at Ujjain and later at Dhar (Dhara). Invaded by the Muslims in 1235, the province became a strong independent state (1401-1531) and had several capitals, the most impressive being MANDU. As a Muslim-ruled state, Malwa had a long history of invading its western neighbour, the Kingdom of Mewar, and was possibly one of the reasons for the Mewaris to relocate the capital to ancient AHAR around about the reign of Rawal ALLAT (951-953). However, it was not always at odds with Mewar: Prince CHOONDA retired to Mandu temporarily, after renouncing his right to the Mewar throne, before racing back to Chittor to avenge the life of his brother, Raghudeo. Later annexed by the Mughals, Malwa was one of the first provinces to be conquered by the Marathas (see HOLKARS) and was also the headquarters of the Pindaris, irregular plunderers. In 1817 the British took administrative control of the area. Malwa was a constant enemy of Mewar, invading it on many occasions, even to annexing its early capital, CHITTOR and holding it for over two hundred years, between the mid-10th century to the early 13th century.
Malwi, one of the four main dialects of Rajasthan used in the southeast of the state.
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