On the 298th birth anniversary of Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar on May 31, Maharashtra Chief Minister announced that his government would rename Ahmednagar after her.
- The city will now be known as Ahilyanagar.
About Ahilyabai Holkar
- Ahilyabai was born in Chondi village of Ahmednagar to the village head Mankoji Shinde, who ensured that his daughter received an education, which was quite rare at that time.
- After her husband’s death in the Battle of Kumbher against the king of Bharatpur in 1754, Ahilyabai took control of Malwa.
- Her rule lasted for thirty years (1765-1795).
- 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 Khande Rao passed away.
- 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 played an important role in rebuilding the Somnath and Kashi Vishwanath Temples.
- From Jagannath temple in Puri to Dwarka in Gujarat, from Kedarnath in the north to Rameshwaram in the south, Ahilyabai built edifices and contributed to their maintenance.
- She even used her personal fortune to send ganga jal to temples all over India, ingeniously transported in bamboo lathes.
