Ahilyadevi also rejoiced when she saw bankers, merchants, farmers and cultivators rise to levels of affluence, but did not consider that she had any legitimate claim to any of that wealth, be it through taxes or feudal right. The Bharatiya Sanskritikosh lists as sites she embellished, Kashi, Gaya, Somnath, Ayodhya, Mathura, Hardwar, Kanchi, Avanti, Dwarka, Badrinarayan, Rameshwar and Jaganathpuri. Outside Malwa, she built dozens of temples, ghats, wells, tanks and rest-houses across an area stretching from the Himalayas to pilgrimage centres in South India. She also built forts and roads in Malwa, sponsored festivals and gave donations for regular worship in many Hindu temples. Ahilyadevi never observed purdah but held daily public audience and was always accessible to anyone who needed her ear.Īmong Ahilyadevi’s accomplishments was the development of Indore from a small village to a prosperous and beautiful city her own capital, however, was in nearby Maheshwar, a town on the banks of the Narmada river. The Peshwa granted permission, and, with Tukoji Holkar (Malhar Rao’s adopted son) as the head of military matters, she proceeded to rule Malwa in a most enlightened manner.
She had led them in person, with four bows and quivers of arrows fitted to the corners of the howdah of her favourite elephant. Some in Malwa objected to her assumption of rule, but the army of Holkar was enthusiastic about her leadership. A letter to her from Malhar Rao in 1765 illustrates the trust he had in her ability during the tempestuous battle for power in the 18th century.Īlready trained to be a ruler, Ahilyadevi petitioned the Peshwa after Malhar’s death, and the death of her son, to take over the administration herself. From 1766 until her death in 1795, she ruled Malwa, trained in both administrative and military matters by Malhar Rao. Twelve years later, her father-in-law, Malhar Rao died. A great rulerĪhilya devi’s husband was killed in battle in 1754. Recognising her piety and her character, he brought the girl to the Holkar territory as a bride for his son, Khanderao (1723–1754). Her entrance on to the stage of history was something of an accident: Malhar Rao Holkar, a commander in the service of the Peshwa Bajirao and lord of the Malwa territory, stopped in Chaundi on his way to Pune and, according to legend, saw the eight-year-old Ahilyabai at the temple service in the village. Ahilyabai’s father taught her to read and write. Her father, Mankoji Shinde, was the patil of the village, a member of the proud Dhangar community. Early lifeĪhilyabai was born on in the village of Chaundi, in the present-day Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra. She moved the capital to Maheshwar south of Indore on the Narmada River. She is often compared with Catherine II of Russia, Elizabeth I of England, Margaret I of Denmark. Ahilyabai was born in the village of Chaundi in Jamkhed, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.
Punyashlok Rajmata Devi Ahilyabai Holkar (-13 August 1795) also known as the Philosopher Queen was a Holkar dynasty Queen of the Malwa kingdom, India.
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