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HISTORY This cantonment town was founded in 1818 by John Malcolm as a result of the Treaty of Mandsaur between the English and the 'Holkars who were the M aratha M aharajas of Indore. John Malcolm's forces had defeated the H olkars of the Maratha Confederacy at the Battle of Mahidpur in 1818. It was after this battle that the capital of the Holkars shifted from the town of Maheshwar on the banks of the Narmada to Indore. Mhow used to be the headquarters of the 5th (Mhow) Division of the Southern Command during the B ritish Raj. Today this small town is associated with the I ndian Army and with B . R. Ambedkar, a political leader who was born here. Mhow was a meter gauge railway district headquarter during the British Raj and even after 1947.[2] The irony is that Mhow still has no broad gauge railway line. According to H indu religious texts, Janapav Kuti near Mhow is said to be the birthplace of Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu.
ETYMOLOGY There is total lack of unanimity on how Mhow got its name. One possible source of the name might be the Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) tree, which grows in profusion in the forests around Mhow. Some articles in popular literature state that MHOW stands for Mi litary Headquarters Of Wa r. However, this is a backronym, and there is no
