Devi Ahilyabai Holkar
#Know your hero(ine)
Ahilyabai Holkar (31/5/1725
-13/8/1795)
(Content courtesy - Radesh Rangarajan)
You must have built sand castles
on the beach. Isn't it terribly sad when someone comes and demolishes it
purposely? Not once or twice, but many times, even when you rebuild it? And in
many places? Wouldn't you give up? Well, there are those who don’t give up
despite repetitive setbacks. This is about one such person - Ahilyabai Holkar -
who fought against all odds to preserve what she considered important.
In our long history, Bharat faced
invaders - Turks, Mughals and their local chiefs. Over several centuries, from
1026 CE, the magnificent Hindu Temples that were not only rich, but a treasure
trove of architecture, bore the brunt. They were torn down, looted and
destroyed repeatedly. Mahmud of Ghazni, Khilji, Tughlaqs, Malik Kafur, Babar,
Jehangir, Shajahan, Aurangazeb – the list of people who destroyed these temples
and monuments was long and was over an extended period of time. Countless
important Hindu temples - Somnath, Kashi, Mathura, Ayodhya and thousands more
were destroyed.
Was there any resistance? Were the
locals successful? Yes. Bharat had its own heroes who tried to stem this
onslaught of destruction of religious structures that were holy for the Hindus.
Although there was resistance from the Rajputs, Vijayanagara empire and others,
a serious turnaround for the better happened under the reign of Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj. The Marathas were able to win back many regions from the
Mughals. Once the territory became part of
The lightning strikes and victories of
Peshwa Baji Rao I from 1720 to 1740 won back most of the territory occupied by
the Mughals. The Maratha Empire spread through a large part of Central, West,
North, South and East encompassing most of Bharat.
The Peshwas were powerful and were
known for their administrative and governing acumen. Malhar Rao Holkar was the
seniormost general of Peshwa Baji Rao.
In 1733, Malhar Rao , was passing
through a small village in Ahmednagar. He was greatly struck by the piety and
extraordinary personality of a girl child Ahilya, daughter of the village
headman. He immediately negotiated her marriage to his son Khande Rao, a rather
lazy youth. Having been married into an influential family, Ahilya was well
loved and protected. She had children and was living happily with her family.
Education and
Training in governance and warfare
Ahilya’s progressive in-law showered
affection on her and also helped her progress in other ways. Ahilya went on to
learn regular studies of her time, but was trained in accounting, warfare and
administration by her doting father in law and mother in law. A brilliant
student, excelling in all these, she was soon influencing and inspiring her
husband who began to join and help his father in his campaigns. This made
Malhar Rao, who was worried about the future of his son, happy and proud.
Malhar Rao was Subedar (Ruler) of a
large strategically important Maratha state, Malwa in central Bharat. He ruled
firmly, protecting his people and also conquered new areas. Ahilya, worked
closely with her father in law and learnt nuances of judging with compassion,
taxing gently and winning people with affection. She could also dispense
justice without bias or favour. One such instance was when she severely
punished her own son for a sadistic offense of putting deadly scorpions in
water pots of priests.
When her husband Khande Rao was killed
in battle, a grieving Ahilya wished to commit Sati. (Sati, was a sad ritual
suicide popular in those times, created to preserve the honour and safety of
women, who would be without protection after losing the husband. It has been
made illegal now.) Fortunately, Ahilya’s father-in-law begged her not to do so
but to invest her time and energy in helping him run the state and take care of
family. This was Ahilya’s first larger exposure to real politik. She proved to
be very skillful and smart in both governing and warfare.
Strategic outlook and
practical outreach
AhilyaBai ruled when Malhar Rao was out
on campaigns but would herself lead the Maratha army - training soldiers,
planning sieges and waging battles. Historic letters show her mastery of the
art of war- for example the classic lightning swift Maratha cavalry moves,
traveling light and of various efficient ways of moving heavy guns.
While heroic and brave, Ahilya resorted
to negotiating peaceful treaties where required but on just terms. Her army's
strength combined with her compassion made many rebels and opponents bow to
her. The troublesome but loyal Bhils were settled with endowments and other
persistently hostile groups were put down by force.
Malhar Rao died of illness after a
great battle in 1766 that reestablished Maratha Supremacy in north Bharat.
Though grieving, AhilyaBai bravely shouldered full responsibility for her
State. When a senior Maratha General Raghoba, uncle of the Peshwa, threatened
her without authorization from Peshwa, she rallied a huge army to confront him.
Simultaneously she sent a letter of complaint to the Peshwa, and received his
support. Strengthened, she posed a simple query to Raghoba. Did he wish to take
the risk of being defeated by a woman on an unauthorized battle? If he won,
there would be no credit, while loss would be great Dishonour. Raghoba
retreated immediately with show of respect. Devi Ahilya had won by wits as well
as being battle ready, without shedding any blood. She had literally displayed
her Iron hand in a velvet glove when needed.
Though blessed with a son and daughter
earlier, AhilyaBai would go through personal tragedy. Her son was a wastrel,
given to drink and other vices. He became the ruler on his grandfather's death,
but died soon after, leaving his mother the Regent to become full -fledged
ruler of Malwa. Ahilya's daughter would commit Sati on the premature death of
her own husband. A saddened Ahilya turned all her attention, and love towards
her people.
A peaceful and
dharmic regime
Devi AhilyaBai's rule of nearly 30
years was an oasis of calm, peace and prosperity in Malwa. Malwa was situated
strategically in the central part of the country. Ahilya used this geography to
provide safe travel routes for Maratha Armies of the Peshwa. Her vision and
strategic thinking helped her to maintain friendly ties with other Maratha
rulers and also with the Nawabs and Nizams.
While firm and fair while dealing with
her peers, she was compassionate and kind towards her subjects. Much of her
income, over Rs.72 lakhs per annum came from her Large Estates. In today's
value, worth Thousands of Crores. By using this, for government expense, she
was able to tax farmers and general population sparingly, including during
drought.
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| Holkar residence in Maheswar |
Devi Ahilya founded the textile / temple town of Maheshwar on the banks of Narmada. Maheswari, the unique handloom printed sarees and fabric from Maheshwar, is one of the well-known and popular weaves even today. Maheshwar also remains a religious centre with many temples and ghats and a characteristically modest palace of Devi Ahilya.
Resurrection of Hindu
temples and places of worship:
At the peak of her rule, Devi Ahilya
turned her attention to the sad condition of destroyed Hindu Temples across
Bharat. Over a hundred years Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Peshwa Baji Rao I,
Peshwa Madhav Rao and other valiant Marathas had reconquered most of the
territory occupied by the Mughals. Their time had been marked by constant
strife and war.
Peace had now been established in the
Hindu Maratha Empire. From Afghanistan in North to Tanjavur in South and from
Rajasthan Sindh and Gujarat in west to Bengal, Marathas ruled. While the
Maratha Emperor and his Peshwa stayed in Maharashtra, the provinces were ruled
by the various trusted Princely families. Ahilyadevi Holkar ruled Malwa, the
Gaekwads ruled Baroda and the Scindias ruled Gwalior. Maratha Royals ruled
Tanjavur.
|
Muslim Nizams and Nawabs under the
protection of Maratha Emperor and Peshwa readily acceded to her requests. Just
imagine the kind of person she must have been to have so many powerful rulers
respect her.
Eight of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples were restored and
renovated by her. Among them Somnath, Omkareshwar and Kashi Vishwanath were the
most important pilgrim centres. Devi Ahilya also rebuilt Vishnu temples at
Mathura, Vrindavan, Ayodhya, Haridwar, Avantika, Kashi and Dwaraka. The four
Dhams- Badrinath, Dwaraka, Rameshwaram and Jagannath also received her bounty
and attention. In addition, Devi Ahilya ensured setting up of gaushalas and
maths.
Creating structures is one step but you
need to provide support – both financial and tactical. Ahilyabai ensured
regular upkeep of the temples through generous endowments and management
systems. Devi Ahilyabai thought strategically and decided it was important to
create a thriving dharmic ecosystem. She initiated the ritual of sharing holy
river waters across temples. This necessitated cooperation and communication
between the key temples and created a shared sense of pride and unity. National
Hindu Pilgrimages that had been interrupted over centuries, restarted with all
vigour and continue till today.
Contemporary British rulers and
historians recorded with awe that Devi Ahilya was among the most enlightened
rulers ever noted in history. The tranquility and peace maintained in
Ahilyabai’s kingdom, the firm yet generous rule and most of all creating the
right ethos for rejuvenation of Hindu religion and culture became a high point
of Maratha Empire's rule.
Today when we talk about our history,
we talk about destruction and invasion. The Maratha rule and the time of Devi
Ahilybai can be rightfully remembered with pride by all Bharatiyas. Even today,
many of these structures and symbols are a sign of the pride and are monuments
to the resurgence of the local population against the invading armies.
We see superheroes who save humanity
from various evils in our movies. Many a time, we forget to remember
superheroes and heroines who have walked this great land of ours. There is a
saying “Deivam manusha rupena” meaning “God comes in the form of a human”. Devi
Ahilyabai Holkar was one such tall figure who was perhaps a woman sent on a
divine mission by the Gods themselves.
Jai Bhavani! Jai Devi Ahilya Bai!
(Please see the next page for a partial list of the temples
constructed / renovated by Devi Ahilya Holkar. It is a partial list as the
number of temples resurrected by Devi Ahilya run into hundreds. Hence we have
mentioned only the main temples).
1. 2. Gangotri
3. Vishnuprayag
4. Kedarnath
5. Badrinath
6. Haridwar
7. Brindavan
8. Ayodhya
9. Prayagraj
10. Varanasi
11. Gaya
12. Pushkar
13. Nathdwara
14. Ujjain
15. Indore
16. Omkareshwar
17. Maheswar
18. Amarkantak
19. Dwaraka
20. Somnath
21. Nashik
22. Ellora
23. Pune
24. Jejuri
25. Chondi
26. Pandarpur
27. Rajapur
28. Gokarna
29. Rameshwaram
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