PM to attend 300th birth anniversary celebrations of Ahilyabai in MP today

Context

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the commemoration of the 300th birth anniversary of erstwhile queen of Indore Ahilyabai Holkar on Saturday.

Ahilyabai Holkar

• Ahilyabai Holkar was the queen of Indore within the Maratha Confederacy. She established Maheshwar (in Madhya Pradesh) on the banks of the Narmada River as the capital of the Holkar Dynasty.

• She was born in 1725 to a Dhangar/Gadariya (shepherd) family in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district.

• Her father, Mankoji Shinde, was from a respectable Dhangar (Gadariya) family who served as the Patil (title like village head).

• Although women did not go to school back then, Ahilyabai’s father taught her to read and write.

• Ahilyabai gained prominence when Malhar Rao Holkar, a commander in the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao’s army, visited Chaundi.

• Impressed by her piety and character, Malhar’s son, Khande Rao Holkar, married Ahilyabai on the Peshwa’s advice in 1733.

• After her husband’s death in the 1754 Battle of Kumbher against the King of Bharatpur, Ahilyabai took control of Malwa.

• She excelled at administrative and military strategies under the guidance of her father-in-law, who believed she should lead her people and not die by Sati.

• After the death of her father-in-law and son a few years later, she petitioned the Peshwa to become the ruler, backed by the support of her army.

• She defended the Malwa state against intruders and personally led armies into battle, with Tukoji Rao Holkar as her military commander.

• Ahilyabai was known for her administrative acumen, breaking traditional gender norms in 18th century India.

• Ahilyabai was a prolific builder, constructing Hindu temples and Dharmashalas across the Indian Subcontinent.

• Ahilya Bai resurrected the jyotirlingas across the country as a tribute to Lord Shiva.

• She carried out renovations in Somnath temple, Kashi Vishwanath temple Varanasi (1780), Trambak, Gaya, Pushkar, Vrindavan, Nathdwara, Haridwar, Badrinath, Kedarnath and many other sacred sites.

• She patronised many artists, including Marathi poet Moropant, Shahir Ananta Gandhi, and Sanskrit scholar Khushali Ram.

• She established Maheshwar (in Madhya Pradesh) as the seat of the Holkar Dynasty.

• She promoted Maheshwari saris (from Maheshwar) and paved the way for empowering women.

• Ahilyabai repealed a traditional law that allowed the state to confiscate the property of childless widows