Ahilyabai Holkar, Dynasty, Contribution, Latest News

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Ahilyabai Holkar Latest News

The Prime Minister will take part in a ‘Mahila Sashaktikaran Maha Sammelan’ event in Bhopal on the occasion of the 300th birth anniversary of legendary queen Ahilyabai Holkar.

About Ahilyabai Holkar

Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar (31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795) was a ruler of the Malwa territory, a part of the Maratha Confederacy, from 1767 to 1795.
She served first as regent and then as ruler of the Holkar dynasty with its seats at Maheshwar and Indore in central India, in a period considered the zenith of the Holkar dynasty.
Under her rule Malwa enjoyed relative peace, prosperity, and stability, and her capital, Maheshwar, was turned into an oasis of literary, musical, artistic, and industrial pursuits.
She passed away on August 13, 1795, at the age of seventy.
Upon her death, Ahilyabai was succeeded by Tukoji Rao Holkar, who abdicated in his son Jaswant Rao’s favor two years later.
Jaswant Rao was the last Holkar ruler to remain independent until his 1804 defeat by and subsequent peace with the British.
Titles:
- She is known as Punyashlok (“One as Pure as the Sacred Chants”).
- John Keay, the British historian, gave the queen the title of ‘The Philosopher Queen’.

Ahilyabai Holkar Military Contribution

She was military-trained under her father-in-law, Malhar Rao Holkar, and personally led armies into battle.
Ahilyabai appointed Malhar Rao’s adopted son, Tukoji Rao Holkar, the commander of the Holkar army.
She engaged the Frenchman Chevelier Dudrenec in 1792 to help modernize her army by raising four battalions.

Ahilyabai Holkar Administration

She earned a reputation for administering justice fairly during her rule, without partiality or partisanship. Ex: She sentenced her only son, found guilty of a capital offense, to death by being crushed by an elephant.
She established courts for justice and arbitration in citizens’ disputes.
She also made some landmark decisions during her reign, including the removal of traditional law confiscating the property of childless widows.
She was known for being accessible to all her subjects and held daily audiences where people could approach her.
Breaking another norm of the time, Ahilyabai did not observe the custom of purdah (seclusion of women).

Ahilyabai Holkar Cultural Contribution

She welcomed stalwarts such as Marathi poet Moropant, Shahir Ananta Gandhi, and Sanskrit scholar Khushali Ram into her capital.
She made Maheshwar (literally, “abode of Lord Shiva”) her capital and offered employment to several craftsmen, artists, and sculptors.
She was a great pioneer and builder of Hindu temples.
She built hundreds of temples and Dharmashalas throughout India.
Her most notable contribution was the renovation and repair of the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple in 1780.
Ahilyabai also helped construct multiple forts, roads, wells, and rest houses.
Promotion of craft: She established a textile industry in Maheshwar, which today is very famous for its Maheshwari sarees.