Malwa Culture

Archaeological culture Level 3
c. 1,700–1,200 BCE

Chalcolithic culture of the Malwa plateau.

🗺 See on map in 1,450 BCE
Capital
Navdatoli
Region
Central
Duration
500 years
Main period
Late Harappan Cultures
Part of
Chalcolithic Cultures

Approximate extent.

Key events

YearEventPlace
c. 1,700 BCE Malwa culture at Navdatoli Navdatoli

📚 Recommended reading on the Malwa Culture

Textbook

Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)

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The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.

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Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)

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Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.

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An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I (Class 11)

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The standard base for art and architecture questions — stupas, temples and sculpture.

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India's Ancient Past

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The expanded version of the classic old-NCERT ancient India text; clear and exam-friendly.

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Contemporaries

Powers that coexisted with the Malwa Culture for a significant part of its history.

Indus / Harappan Civilization ★
Northwest · c. 3,300–1,300 BCE
Early Vedic Communities ★
Northwest · c. 1,500–1,000 BCE
Neolithic Kashmir (Burzahom)
North · c. 3,000–1,500 BCE
South Indian Neolithic (Ash-mound cultures)
South · c. 3,000–1,200 BCE
Chalcolithic Cultures
Central · c. 3,000–700 BCE
Ochre Coloured Pottery Culture
Gangetic Plain · c. 2,000–1,500 BCE