Ahilya Bai Holkar

Current Context : 300th birth anniversary of the Maratha queen Ahilya Bai Holkar was celebrated on 31^st May.

ABOUT AHILYA BAI HOLKAR

• Ahilya Bai (1725 -1795) was one of the women rulers of Medieval India who belongs to the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Empire.
• She was married at the age of 08 with Khanderao Holkar in 1733. Her husband was killed in the battle of Kumbher in 1754.
• Ahilya bai is famous for having built numerous forts and roads in the Malwa region, sponsoring festivals and offering donations to many Hindu temples.
• Her philanthropy was reflected in the construction of several temples, ghats, wells, tanks and rest houses stretching across the length of the country.
• She welcomed stalwarts such as Marathi poet Moropant, Shahir Ananta Gandhi, and Sanskrit scholar Khushali Ram into her capital.
• John Keay, the British historian, gave the queen the title of ‘The Philosopher Queen’.