Ahilyabai Holkar

Ahilyabai Holkar Latest News

Recently, the Prime Minister of India paid tributes to Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar on her birth anniversary.

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 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’.
• Early Life and Marriage
  • Born on May 31, 1725, in the village of Chondi in Jamkhed, Ahmednagar (Maharashtra), and her father Mankoji Rao Shinde was the village head.
  • She got married to Khanderao Holkar (son of Malhar Rao Holkar) in 1733.
• Rise to Power
  • Ahilyabai’s husband Khanderao Holkar was killed in the battle of Kumbher in 1754. 
  • Her father-in-law, Malhar Rao passed away in 1766, and in the following year, she lost her son, Male Rao.
  • She ascended the throne and became the ruler of Indore on December 11, 1767.
  • She had appointed Tukoji Rao Holkar as the commander of her army.
  • She made Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh as the capital of the Holkar dynasty.

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Key Contributions of Ahilyabai Holkar

• Temple Construction: She was instrumental in rebuilding major temples, notably the Kashi Vishwanath temple in 1780, and supported infrastructure such as rest houses and public ghats at various pilgrimage sites.
• Cultural: She patronised stalwarts such as Marathi poet Moropant, Shahir Ananta Gandhi, and Sanskrit scholar Khushali Ram.
• Promotion of craft: She established a textile industry in Maheshwar, which today is very famous for its Maheshwari sarees.
• Understanding the importance of education, she established many gurukuls and schools.
• In a revolutionary move for her time, she formed a women’s army and trained them in warfare, self-defense, and administrative security.

Source: News On Air