Who was Ahilya Bai Holkar?
- Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar (31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795) was the Holkar Queen of the Maratha Malwa kingdom, India.
- She is regarded as one of the most visionary female rulers of India. She is widely known for her wisdom, courage, and administrative skills.
- Ahilyabai''s husband, Khanderao Holkar, was killed in the battle of Kumbher in 1754.
- Twelve years later, her father-in-law, Malhar Rao Holkar, died.
- A year after that, she was crowned the queen of Malwa kingdom. For the next 28 years, Ahilyabai ruled over Malwa in a just, wise, and knowledgeable manner.
- Under Ahilyabai’s 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 welcomed stalwartssuch as Marathi poet Moropant, Shahir Ananta Gandhi, and Sanskrit scholar Khushali Ram into her capital.
- She was instrumental in spreading the message of dharma and propagating industrialization.
- She established a textile industry in Maheshwar, which today is very famous for its Maheshwari sarees.
- She tried to protect her kingdom from plundering invaders.
- She was military-trained and personally led armies into battle.
- She appointed Tukojirao Holkar as the Chief of Army.
- She earned a reputation for administering justice fairly during her rule, without partiality or partisanship.
- She sentenced her only son, found guilty of a capital offense, to death by being crushed by an elephant.
- 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.
- She also made some landmark decisions during her reign, including the removal of traditional law confiscating the property of childless widows.
- She held daily public audiences to help redress the problems of the common man.
- John Keay, the British historian, gave the queen the title of ‘The Philosopher Queen’.
- She passed away on August 13, 1795, at the age of seventy.
- Her throne was then succeeded by her commander-in-chief and nephew, Tukojirao Holkar.
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