Malwa (Punjab)

Early 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.^[6] Later-on during the Mughal Empire, Ferozepur acted as the capital of the Multan subah (province) according to the Ain-i-Akbari.^[6][7] With the shifting course of the Sutlej River, the region fell into decline, as the river which formerly provided a means of sustenance and fertility to the land became destructive and transformed the landscape of Malwa into mounds and deserts.^[7] Malwa had essentially took on the appearance of a desert by the early 16th century due to these natural circumstances.^[7]

By the end of the 16th century, there was a migration of various Jat clans into the region for settlement, namely the Bhatti, Dhaliwal, Gill, and Sidhu clans, who entered the region from the south and southeast.^[7] The Sidhu clan of the Jats wielded power and influence in the local area.^[6] According to Pashaura Singh, the unpredictable power of the Sutlej River led to the toughening of the character of these newcomers.^[7]

Sikh period

The first Sikh guru to tour the Malwa region was Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru of the Sikhs.^[7] Prior to Hargobind, no Sikh guru had toured the region, which is in-contrast to the neighbouring Majha and Doaba regions, which were introduced to Sikhism earlier-on, as per Dalbir Singh Dhillon.^[7] Thus, most of the Jat tribes of Malwa were converted to Sikhism during the course of the 17th century.^[7] With Guru Hargobind taking refuge in the forests of Daroli (present-day Daroli Bhai in Moga district) located in Malwa, many youths were drawn to the new religion and were martialized within this context.^[7] Guru Hargobind was physically impressive in stature and charismatic with his missionary efforts, which drew-in converts in the region and providing new recruits for his Akal Sena.^[7] While at Daroli, Guru Hargobind kept in close communication with Bhai Gurdas and Baba Buddha.^[7] After the execution of Guru Arjan, the central Sikh headquarters at Amritsar came under close Mughal surveillance, which led to the development of Daroli in Malwa as a "itinerant Sikh centre" during the guruship of Guru Hargobind.^[7] Baba Gurditta, the son of Guru Hargobind and Mata Damodari, and father of Guru Tegh Bahadur, was born in the forests of Daroli in 1608.^[8]

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.^[9] 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.^[10] When near Moga, he sent his family to safety in Kartarpur and whilst he remained in the Malwa region with his army.^[10]

At Dagru village in Moga district, it is believed Guru Har Rai stayed there for some time whilst on a tour of the Malwa region.^[11] Gurdwara Tambu Sahib was later constructed to commemorate his stay in the area.^[11]

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.^[12] During the Sikh Confederacy of the 18th century, the Bhangi Misl held sway.^[6]