List of people from Malwa
The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in the region of Malwa, India.
Historical
- Rajmata Ahilya Devi Holkar, ruler of Indore state of the Holkars
- Bhartrihari
- Brahmagupta, mathematician
- Bhoj, king
- Bhāskara II, mathematician
- Chandragupta Vikramaditya, legendary king
- Dhanvantari
- Kalidasa, Sanskrit playwright
- Mahinda, Buddhist monk depicted in Buddhist sources as bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka; first-born son of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka from his wife Devi
- Malhar Rao Holkar Holkar dynasty founders....and first Maratha Empire subedar Madhya Bharat
- Sanghamitra, daughter of Emperor Ashoka and his wife, Vidisha Dev
- Siddhasena
- Varahamihira, astronomer and mathematician
Artists and literary figures
- Hafeez Contractor, architect of India; born in Mumbai
- Asghar Ali Engineer, graduated with a degree in civil engineering from Vikram University
- Sagarika Ghatge, Indian film actress; daughter of the actor Vijayendra Ghatge
- Vijayendra Ghatge, actor in the Hindi film industry; son of Sita Raje Ghatge, who was the daughter of Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar III of Indore
- Umakant Gundecha and Ramakant Gundecha, leading Dagarvani dhrupad singers
- M.F. Husain, eminent painter; spent his childhood in Indore
- Rahat Indori, Urdu poet and songwriter in Hindi films
- Celina Jaitley, Shimla-born Indian actress; mainly appears in Bollywood films; her parents live in the army town of Mhow in the Indore district
- Ustad Amir Khan, Hindustani classical vocalist; referred to his unique style of khyal singing as "Indore Gharana"; born in Indore
- Digvijay Bhonsale, Rock/Metal Musician, Lead Vocalist/Guitarist of Nicotine, Metal band from Indore; studied at Daly College, Indore and Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK
- Rais Khan, Indian sitar maestro; born in Indore
- Salman Khan, Indian film actor who appears in Bollywood movies; born in Indore
- Sneha Khanwalkar, Indian music director who works in Bollywood; brought up in Indore
- Swanand Kirkire, lyricist, singer, and writer; born in Indore
- Kiran Kumar, Mumbai-based Kashmiri Indian actor; studied at Daly College, Indore
- Kishore Kumar, playback singer and actor; belonged to Khandwa; studied at the Indore Christian College and used to stay in the hostel
- Ankita Lokhande, Indian television actress; brought up in Indore
- Lata Mangeshkar, playback singer, born in Indore to Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar
- Sachida Nagdev, contemporary Indian artist
- Pradeep, Indian poet and songwriter who is best known for his patriotic song "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo"
- Kunwar Amarjeet Singh, hip-hop and contemporary style dancer; played lead role in Dil Dosti Dance
- Prahlad Tipanya, Kabir folksinger from Lunyakheri village; recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi award
- Mahadevi Varma, Hindi poet; freedom fighter; was married to Dr Swarup Narain Varma in Indore
- Johnny Walker, famous comic actor; born in Indore
- Kunwar Amarjeet Singh, hip-hop and contemporary style dancer; played lead role in Dil Dosti Dance
- Zakir Khan, Stand-up comedian,
- Shahbaz Khan (actor), Television actor, known for his role in "Chandrakanta" as "Kunwar Virendra Singh"; Son of Ustad Amir Khan, born and raised in Indore.
- Mantra Well known RJ, Actor, Comedian; born and raised in Indore.
- Palak Muchhal, Indian Singer Born in Indore.
Rulers, nationalists, and politicians
- Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, most noted ruler of Holker State; built numerous temples, wells and dharamshalas all over India; spent most of her life in Maheshwar, then capital of the Holkars, situated on the banks of the Narmada and is said to have visited Indore only twice in her lifetime; her name is synonymous with Indore, and the university and airport are named after her
- Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar, key figure in Maratha history; galvanized several years of resistance against the British Empire; was called the Napoleon of India
- Yeshwantrao Holkar II, the Maharaja of Indore belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Marathas; born in Indore
- Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army; studied at Daly College Indore
- Field Marshal Sam Bahadur Manekshaw, Commandant of the Infantry School, Mhow during the 1950s
- Yashoda Devi, first woman to be elected from a former princely state of India as a member of a legislative assembly
- Jyotiraditya Scindia, Indian Politician, former President of MPCA, Hereditary Patron of Daly College, Indore
- Sumitra Mahajan, Bharatiya Janata Party Leader and MP; Member of Parliament from Indore Lok Sabha constituency since 1989
- Digvijay Singh, Indian politician; former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh; senior leader of the Indian National Congress political party; studied at Daly College in Indore; alumnus of Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science, Indore
- Pushpa Devi Singh, Indian politician
- Sartaj Singh, PWD minister in government of Madhya Pradesh
- Kaptan Singh Solanki, Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party
- General K. Sundarji, Commandant of the College of Combat, Mhow during the early 1980s
- Kailash Vijayvargiya, leader of Bharatiya Janata Party; ex-Mayor of Indore
- Thawar Chand Gehlot, cabinet minister in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in Narendra Modi government
- Paras Chandra Jain, leader of Bharatiya Janata Party
- Satyanarayan Jatiya, former cabinet minister from 1999 to 2004 and held portfolios of labour and social justice and empowerment
- Ajit Jogi, first chief minister of the state of Chhattisgarh; District Magistrate of Indore in the 1980s
- Prabhash Joshi, journalist; editor in chief of Jansatta
- Hukam Chand Kachwai, leader of Bharatiya Janata Party
- Guru Radha Kishan, Swatantrata Sangram Sainik, fought valiantly for the economic deprivation for the poor and the issues of social deprivation
- Prakash Chandra Sethi, Indian National Congress politician; Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, was the Member of Parliament from Indore Lok Sabha constituency ; served in a number of positions in the centre, including Home Minister, Defence Minister, Minister of External Affairs, Finance Minister, Railways, and Housing and Development
- Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, father of the Indian Constitution; campaigner for Dalit rights; born in Mhow
Sports persons
- Sandhya Agarwal, former captain of Indian women's cricket team
- Captain Mushtaq Ali, Colonel Nayudu's teammate in the Holkar team and in the Indian team; popularly known as the 'Errol Flynn' of Indian cricket
- Captain Syed Mushtaq Ali, Indian international cricketer; born and died in Indore
- Minoti Desai, Indian cricketer; represented Indian women's team; born in Indore
- Rahul Dravid, Indian cricketer; former captain of the Indian cricket; born in Indore
- Raj Singh Dungarpur, former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India; former Indian cricket selector was an ex-student of Daly College, Indore
- Narendra Hirwani, leg spin bowler; former member of Indian cricket team; moved to Indore when he was a teenager
- Sanjay Jagdale, former state cricketer; presently one of the national selectors for the senior all-India teams and the honorary secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association; director of the Cricket Club of Indore
- Amay Khurasiya, former member of Indian Cricket team; studied in Indore
- Shankar Lakshman, goalkeeper of the Indian hockey team in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won two golds and a silver; captain of the team which won the gold in the 1966 Asian Games; belonged to Mhow and lived his retired life here until his death
- Colonel C.K. Nayudu, first Indian Test Captain in cricket; led India between 1932 and 1934
- Mir Ranjan Negi, hockey goalkeeper and coach of Indian women's team; won Asian Championship
- Naman Ojha, Indian cricketer
- Chandu Sarwate, former Indian cricketer and former Indian cricket selector; lived and died in Indore
- Jalaj Saxena, cricketer; plays as an all rounder for the India A cricket team; born in Indore
Academia, business and professionals
- Seth Hukumchand, He was known as the 'Cotton Prince of India' and had much credit even in some overseas countries.
- Dr S Prakash Tiwari, Former Vice-Chancellor of S. K. Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, and Former Director of National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Hyderabad.
- Siddhartha Paul Tiwari, Academician and Researcher, 'India Science Award' Awardee
- Deepak Chaurasia, journalist, editor in chief of ''India News''