ppt

1. AHILYABAI HOLKAR
–AN INSPIRATION

2. EARLY LIFE
AHILYABAI HOLKAR WAS BORN IN THE
CHAUNDI VILLAGE (PRESENT DAY -
AHMEDNAGAR DISTRICT) OF MAHARASHTRA,
INDIA, TO MANKOJI SHINDE AND SUSHILA BAI
SHINDE ON 31st MAY, 1725.
"For thirty years her reign of peace,
The land in blessing did increase;
And she was blessed by every tongue,
By stern and gentle, old and young.
Yea, even the children at their mother's
feet,
Are taught such homely rhyming to
repeat.
In latter days from Brahma came,
To rule our land, a noble Dame,
Kind was her heart and bright her fame,
And Ahilya was her honored name."
— Joanna Baillie, in 1849.
ALTHOUGH, WOMEN DID NOT GO TO SCHOOL
BACK THEN, AHILYA’S FATHER TAUGHT HER TO
READ AND WRITE.
IN 1733, SHE MARRIED KHANDE RAO HOLKAR,
THE SON OF MALHAR RAO HOLKAR, A
COMMANDER IN PESHWA BAJI RAO 1 ‘s COURT.
IN 1954, WHILE INSPECTING HIS TROOPS IN AN
OPEN PALANQUIN DURING A BATTLE OF
KUMBHER. A CANNONBALL HIT KHANDE RAO
AND HE DIED.
AHILYABAI BECAME THE RULER OF INDORE
AFTER THE DEATH OF MALHAR RAO HOLKAR IN
1766 AND THAT OF HER SON MALE RAO IN 1767.

3. CONTRIBUTIONS
AHILYABAI DEVELOPED A SMALL VILLAGE INTO A WEALTHY AND BEAUTIFUL CITY, INDORE.
SHE BUILT FORTS AND ROADS IN MALWA, SPONSORED FESTIVALS, AND GAVE DONATIONS FOR THE
REGULAR WORSHIP IN MANY HINDU TEMPLES.
SHE BUILT DOZENS OF TEMPLES, GHATS, WELLS, TANKS AND REST-HOUSES ACROSS AN AREA
STRETCHING FROM THE HIMALAYS TO PILGRIMAGE CENTRES IN SOUTH INDIA.
AHILYABAI SUPPORTED THE RISE OF FARMERS, CULTIVATORS AND MERCHANTS TO LEVELS OF
AFFLUENCE. SHE ALSO DIDN'T CLAIM THEIR WEALTH THROUGH TAXES OR FEUDAL RIGHTS.

4. ACHIEVEMENTS
● AHILYABAI defended the Malwa state against intruders
and personally led armies into battle, with Tukoji Rao
Holkar as her military commander.
● She openly advocated for the rights of women. A well-read
woman herself, she pioneered women’s education in a
time when it was barred for them to get educated.
● She helped widows retain their husbands' wealth. She
made sure that a widow was allowed to adopt a son. In one
instance, when her minister refused to allow an adoption
unless he was suitably bribed, she sponsored the child
herself, and gave him clothes and jewels as part of the
ritual.
● The honorific Devi, appended to Ahilyabai Holkar, is the
mark of genuine love, affection, and respect the people of
Malwa and Nimad have for her.

5. ACHIEVEMENTS
● She led the Holkar army in some of these battles against the intruders, establishing order in the
kingdom.
● From Gangotri to Rameshwaram, and from Dwarka to Gaya, she spent money on rebuilding
temples destroyed under the Mughal rule, in restoring the past glory of holy sites
● The list of the temple architectural interventions by Ahilyabai is endless. The most significant
one, however, is the current Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. Destroyed by the Mughal
ruler Aurangzeb to build the Gyaanvapi mosque, the temple was restored in its current form by
Ahilyabai in the year 1780, 111 years after its destruction.