Devi Ahilyabai was born in Chondi (also Chauri) village in Maharashtra. It is about 85 kms from erstwhile Ahmednagar which was renamed as Ahilyanagar in 2024.

When Peshwa Bajirao was looking to expand the maratha empire, he sent Malhar Rao Holkar with a large army to attack Malwa. With the co-operation of the local revenue collector for the Mughals, Malhar Rao won Malwa for the marathas. He was then appointed Subedar for Malwa by Peshwa Bajirao.

Malhar Rao Holkar had the biggest influence on Ahilyabai and was her mentor too. He was the one who spotted the young Ahilyabai when she was just eight years old, and brought her to Indore as his daughter-in-law. He made Ahilyabai his successor in royal matters, even though she was never formally the Subedar. He taught her statecraft and integrity. He trained Ahilyabai in horse riding and archery along with other Sons. Malhar Rao himself was from a shepherd family. He was enrolled in the army and gathered fame with his fighting capabilities.

Malhar Rao was constantly in war expeditions at the service of Peshwa. Therefore the day to day administration of the State was in Ahilyabai’s hands. He had full faith in her administrative and political abilities. There was constant correspondence between the two even when Malhar Rao was away. He would give instructions for supply of men, money and material to the warfront which Ahilyabai would fulfill. He would also provide instructions of production of ammunition and artillery. He would also leave instructions on administrative aspects and governance.

After the death of her husband and son, Ahilyabai was drawn more and more towards spirituality. Yet, she was also conscious of the duty she had as Rajmata. She found the banks of Narmada peaceful. It could serve as a capital and also satisfy her spiritual urges. She founded a new capital at Maheshwar in 1767 and spent 28 years of her life in Maheshwar. Her father in law Malhar Rao had already issued a warrant of protection in 1745 to the would be residents of Maheshwar with grants of land for houses for squires, carpenters, weavers and labour. There are more than sixty temples in Maheshwar. Maheshwar was known as Mahishmati in ancient India.

The Indore airport is named after Ahilyabai. The Holkar dynasty ruled from Indore. Ahilyabai shifted her administration from Indore to Maheshwar after the death of her father in law. The Bhopal airport is named after the legendary Raja Bhoj. The Gwalior airport is named after Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia. Ujjain does not have an airport yet.

While hailed as ‘Lokmata’ (Mother of People) & ‘Punyashloka’ (As pure as the sacred chants), Ahilyabai had a tragic family life. None of her family members survived her. She lost her husband Khande Rao at a young age. Her father in law died soon after the Battle of Panipat in 1761. Her only son died childless at a young age. Her son in law also died suddenly. Her grandson also died of tuberculosis. The wives of all these male family members committed sati. Her last great sorrow was when her daughter committed sati. Only her adopted son Tukoji, who was the nephew of Malhar Rao (some say his son), and his sons survived her. Tukoji was a trusted general of Malhar Rao. He carried the Holkar tradition forward after her death in 1795CE that endures to this day.

Ahilyabai invited skilled weavers from all parts of India to settle down in Maheshwar. She helped them financially to establish a business. She also bought the sarees and textiles they produced. She invited Sankhram Domgde, an expert in silk textiles to Indore. Within four years, more than 100 weavers were making Maheshwari sarees. Because of the encouragement given by Ahilyabai, quality sarees and clothes began to be produced in Maheshwar. Maheshwar was also known for vessel making and Maheswari Silver vessels became a specialty. Ahilyabai was very focused on making her people prosperous. Annie Besant wrote, “She loved to see her people prosper, and to watch the fine cities grow, and to watch that her subjects were not afraid to display their wealth, lest the ruler should snatch it from them.”

Ahilyabai is famous for the reconstruction of the Kashi Vishwanath temple, slightly away from the temple Aurangzeb destroyed. In 1785, she built this 51 feet high temple. She also renovated a ghat in varanasi. Her contributions to Varanasi are extensive. She built the Manikarnikaghat and a female only ghat at Manikarnika. She built 6 private temples and the Tarkeshwar temple. She built 9 private bungalows. She also established Brahmapuri as a colony of Brahmins.

Ahilyabai also rebuilt the Somnath temple that was destroyed by Ghazni Mahmud. This is slightly away from the original Somnath temple that was destroyed. Even almost 75 years after the reconstruction of the grand Somnath temple at the original spot, the temple that Ahilyabai built is worshipped regularly. There is a constant stream of pilgrims to the Ahilyabai temple at Somnath. She funded the renovation of almost all major Hindu pilgrimage centers – the 12 Jyotirlingas, 4 Dhams, five Kedars & seven Puris.

Ahilyabai was preparing herself to commit Sati alongwith the funeral of KhandeRao. However Malhar Rao convinced her not to commit Sati. He asked her to take responsibility for the kingdom as there was no other male heir and since Malhar Rao had always seen the future of the kingdom in the hands of Ahilyabai. Ahilyabai relented, and wore white saree and gave up jewelry and decorations for the rest of her life.

Ahilyabai was against the custom of Sati but was not able to abolish it due to the prevalent conservatism in the society. However she ensured that no woman had to commit Sati against her free will. She gave full protection to the right of widows. They had complete rights to the property of their dead husbands which ensured that their future is protected if they decided not to commit Sati. She also gave permission to widows to adopt a Son without needing State permission or having to pay a tax to the State. These steps greatly reduced the instances of Sati in the society. Nevertheless, her daughter, her daughter-in-law and the wives of his grandson all committed Sati during her own lifetime.

Malhar Rao had mediated in a war against a brotherly conflict in the Jaipur Kingdom. He had received the Rampur area as thanksgiving which was not liked by the Chandravats of Rampura. They rose in revolt in 1771 after the death of Malhar Rao. Ahilyabai herself took part in the battle and crushed them. Their revolt in 1783 was also crushed. Eventually, sensing weakness in Holkar kingdom, the Chandravats attacked Marathas again and the local Maratha commander fled. An infuriated Ahilyabai asked Sharief Bhai to lead a decisive battle against the Chandravats. She herself was in the battlefield arranging logistics and medical facilities. The Chandravats were defeated by the marathas. On the order of Ahilyabai, the Chandravat rebel Saubhag Singh was tied to a canon and blown up. The Peshwa and Nana Fadnavis recognised Ahilyabai’s valour in the battlefield. Till then Ahilyabai was known for her piety and governance. The crushing of the Rajput revolt made her a valiant leader as well.

Nehru wrote this in his book Discovery of India.
Ahilyabai was renowned for all aspects of governance. She separated personal funds from the State funds. She was efficient in the collection of taxes and in depositing the share of Peshwa from the treasury and from the war loots. The justice system that she administered was quick, unbiassed and took into consideration emotional aspects. The system was practical and respected the quick justice provided by institutions like the Panchayats. Her charitable work is of course renowned and all major pilgrimage places of India have seen the contributions of Ahilyabai.

Joanna Baillie, a female Scottish poet wrote as a poem,

“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 mothers 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 frame, and Ahilya was her honoured name.”

Sir John Malcolm, the Governor of Bombay in early 19th cent CE who had crossed swords with the Marathas wrote, “Ahilyabai’s extraordinary ability won her the regard of her subjects and of the other Maratha confederates, including Nana Phadnavis. With the natives of Malwa … her name is sainted, and she has styled an avatar or Incarnation of the Divinity. In the soberest view that can be taken of her character, she certainly appears, within her limited sphere, to have been one of the purest and most exemplary rulers that ever existed.”

While the marathas and Ahilyabai supported the Hindu revival in all aspects, Ahilyabai’s contribution to the revival of pilgrim centers stands out. Foreign conquest of about seven centuries had levelled many pilgrimage places of India. The Marathas were instrumental in the reconstruction of the Hindu society and its institutions.

Ahilyabai was the best exponent of it. With her charity work, she ensured that several temples were reconstructed, ghats were built in tirthas, choultries were built for accommodation of pilgrims and water facilities were provided.

When Malhar Rao was alive, Ahilyabai had visited several pilgrimage places. She was conscious of the expenses that pilgrims incurred and the hardships they had to face. She decided to spend her personal wealth on renovation of pilgrimage facilities. Every major pilgrimage center in India has the stamp of Ahilyabai’s generosity and public work. There are facilities in all corners of India – Kedarnath, Badrinath, Rameswaram, Pandharpur, Somnath and Puri. To make sure that the facilities are well maintained, she also created permanent financial arrangements for their upkeep.

About her charity, John Malcom says, “hours snatched from the affairs of the State were all given to acts of devotion and charity – and a deep sense of religion appears to have strengthened her mind in the performance of worldly duties.”

After independence a trust was formed to manage the properties Ahilayabai had created with her personal wealth. In 2012, former Lok Sabha speaker and MP from Indore, Sumitra Mahajan filed a complaint to stop the misuse and unauthorised sale of these properties by the Trust. As a result, Government of Madhya Pradesh and later on the high court and supreme court ended up protecting the properties from unauthorised sale. `

Eight Jyotirlingas have records of the contribution of Ahilyabai. In another four, the contributions of Holkars are recorded but it is not clear which ruler made them. Even now, the most common image of Ahilyabai shows her carrying a shivling in her hands. She made contributions to all 7 Puris (moksha cities) of Ayodhya, Mathura, Dwarka, Haridwar, Benares, Kanchi and Ujjain. She also made contributions to the Char Dhams of Puri, Dwarka, Rameswaram and Badrinath. Ahilyabai made permanent arrangements to send Ganga Jal from Gangotri to 40 temples every year on the day of Shivaratri. These include the Jyotirlingas, Pashupatinath, Gokarna and Pandharpur. This tradition continues and the descendants of Brahmins appointed by Ahilyabai still carryout this activity.