Chondi (Maharashtra) [India], May 31 : Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) or NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar paid obeisance at the Ahilyadevi Holkar Memorial in her birthplace, Chondi, to mark the 301st birth anniversary of the legendary 18th-century Maratha ruler.
Accompanied by NCP (SP) MP Nilesh Lanke, local leaders, and numerous devotees, Pawar participated in a series of devotional rituals, including a midnight anointing ceremony and aarti at the local Mahadev Temple.
Talking to X, Rohit Pawar said, "On the occasion of the 301st birth anniversary of the welfare-oriented, people-serving, justice-loving, and visionary ruler, the virtuous Ahilyadevi Holkar, I paid obeisance at the Ahilyadevi Memorial at Chondi (Tal. Jamkhed), her birthplace, at midnight 12 o'clock. Prior to that, devotional worship, anointing, and the aarti of Ahilyadevi's statue were performed at the Mahadev Temple here. On this occasion, MP Nilesh ji Lanke, local office-bearers, workers, and devotees were present."
Pawar, who represents the Jamkhed assembly constituency, stated that Ahilyadevi's vision of a welfare state continues to serve as his primary administrative ideal for societal development.
"As the people's representative of the constituency that is the birthplace of the virtuous Ahilyadevi Holkar, I have been fortunate to work here, and while carrying out every task for societal welfare, the ideal of the welfare-oriented work done by Ahilyadevi always remains before my eyes, and in the future too, our effort will be to work on this very ideal. Her birth anniversary is a festival of joy for millions of people, and being a part of this joyous celebration is also a matter of great fortune for me," he added.
Rajmata Ahilyabai Holkar was the Holkar Queen of the Malwa kingdom. She is regarded as one of the most visionary female rulers of India. In the 18th century, as the Maharani of Malwa, she was instrumental in spreading the message of dharma and propagating industrialisation. She is widely known for her wisdom, courage, and administrative skills, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Culture & Tourism.
Born on May 31, 1725, in the village of Chondi in Jamkhed, Ahmednagar (Maharashtra), Ahilya hailed from a very humble background. Her father, Mankoji Rao Shinde, was the village head, and he taught her to read and write. As a young girl, the combination of her simplicity and strength of character caught the attention of Malhar Rao Holkar, the Lord of the Malwa territory. He was so impressed with the young Ahilya that in 1733, he got her married to his son Khanderao Holkar.
The 'Philosopher Queen', as she is famously known, passed away on August 13, 1795, at the age of seventy. Her legacy still lives on, and the various temples, Dharamshalas, and public works undertaken by her stand as a testimony to the great warrior queen she was.
Ahilyabai's legacy further lives on through the forts she built, but also in the reforms and values she championed. Her life remains a beacon of guidance for society.