Malwa is a region in western India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin in the western part of Madhya Pradesh state and the south-eastern part of Rajasthan. The region was a separate political unit from the time of the Aryan tribe of Malavas until 1947. Most of the region is drained by the Chambal River and its tributaries; the western part is drained by the Mahi River. Ujjain was the capital in ancient times, and Indore is presently the largest city. The culture of the region has had influences from Gujarati, Rajasthani and Marathi cultures. Malvi is the most commonly used language, especially in rural areas, while Hindi is widely understood in cities. The first significant kingdom in the region was Avanti, an important power in western India by around 500 BCE, when it was annexed by the Maurya Empire. The 5th-century Gupta period was a golden age in the history of Malwa. The region has given the world prominent leaders in the arts and sciences, including the poet KÄ?lidÄ?sa and the polymath king Bhoja.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
811: Bulgarian forces led by Krum defeated a Byzantine invasion in the Battle of Pliska, killed Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I and severely wounded his son and co-emperor Staurakios. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krum_of_Bulgaria)
1139: After a victory over the Almoravid Moors in the Battle of Ourique, Afonso the Conqueror (pictured) was proclaimed the first king of an independent Portugal. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afonso_I_of_Portugal)
1822: José de San MartÃn met with Simón BolÃvar in Guayaquil to plan for the future of South America. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guayaquil)
1887: L. L. Zamenhof published Unua Libro, the first publication to describe Esperanto, a constructed international language. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unua_Libro)
1953: Fidel Castro led an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada Barracks, thus beginning the Cuban Revolution. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moncada_Barracks)
_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:
"Pardon him, Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature." -- George Bernard Shaw (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw)
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