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.

The Indore airport is named after Ahilyabai. 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.

Sumitra Mahajan is a Maharashtrian born in Chiplun. She married into the Mahajan family of Indore. She completed her BA and MA from the Indore University which is now named as Ahilyabai university. She was the Deputy Mayor of Indore Municpal Corporation. She was elected as an MP from the Indore constituency. She wrote a book named “Matoshree” on the life of Ahilyabai.

The marathas and Ahilyabai supported the Hindu revival in all aspects. However Ahilyabai’s contribution to the revival of pilgrim centres stands out. Foreign conquest of about ten 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. 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.”

The famous debate between Adi Shankaracharya and Mandan Mishra took place at Mahishmati. The place is also referred to in Meghdoot of Kalidasa. Mahishmati is also referred to in the Itihaasaas and puranas.

A speciality of Holkar family was that they separated personal expenses from the public funds. The construction activities were funded out of the personal funds received by the Holkar family. Ahilyabai’s mother in law had received a few villages for her maintenance from the Peshwa. The income from this and other gifts received by the queen constituted the personal fund. It is believed that this grant was at the request of Malhar Rao who was continuing the custom from his Dhangar society. Four annas out of the earnings of the day was given to the wife. Malhar Rao also personally requested for a grant from Peshwa to his wife similar to this practice. Ahilyabai inherited this fund of about sixteen crores at that time after her mother-in-law’s death. A letter from Peshwa confirms this inheritance. After she lost her son Male Rao, she decided to use the personal fund for charity. All the construction activity of Ahilyabai were funded out of this.

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.

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.

Ahilyabai executed development works in all these group of tirthas. Eight Jyotirlingas have records of the contribution of Ahilyabai. In another four, the contributions of Holkars are recorded but is not clear which ruler made them. She made contributions in all 7 Puris (moksha cities) of Ayodhya, Mathura, Dwarka, Haridwar, Benares, Kanchi and Ujjain. She also made contribution to the Char Dhams of Puri, Dwarka, rameswaram and Badrinath.

Ahilyabai made permanent arrangements to send Ganga Jal from Gangotri to forty 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.