Ahmednagar to be renamed as Ahilyanagar after Hindu queen Ahilyabai Holkar, announces Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

The Maharashtra government has decided to change the name of Ahmednagar district soon and
rename Ahmednagar district after Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde made this significant announcement today.

The 298th birth anniversary of Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar is being celebrated today. On this occasion, a special program was organised at Chaundi in Ahmednagar district, the birthplace of Ahilyadevi to mark the birth anniversary of Ahilyadevi Holkar. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was speaking in the program where Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was also present.

Shinde said that this district will be known as ‘Ahilyanagar’ in the future. He said that it was theirs (CM Shinde and DCM Fadnavis) to have the name Ahmednagar changed during their tenure. Chief Minister Shinde also said that due to this name change, the prestige of the city district would also be equal to the Himalayas.

There was a longstanding demand that Ahmednagar should be renamed after Ahilyadevi Holkar. MLA Gopichand Padalkar had demanded that the name of Ahmednagar should be changed to Ahilyanagar. Many social organizations were also following up on this matter. A yatra was also taken out to change the name of Ahmednagar to Ahilyanagar.

CM Shinde said that the Government is working with Ahilyadevi’s ideals in mind. Therefore, the state government has decided to rename Ahmednagar as Ahilyanagar soon. He said he was proud that he and Devendra Fadnavis witnessed this ceremony. The Chief Minister said that the prestige of the city will also increase due to this name change.

Speaking in this program, BJP MLA Ram Shinde demanded that Ahmednagar be renamed Ahilyanagar. After that, DCM Devendra Fadnavis immediately expressed his agreement with the demand. He said that the Chief Minister of our state is Chhatrapati’s mawla (soldier). Hence the name of Ahmednagar will now be Ahilyanagar. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Aurangabad was renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Osmanabad was also renamed Dharashiv. And now Ahmednagar will also be named Ahilyanagar.

Ahilyabai Holkar was a judicious queen and skillful in handling court matters. She was best known for being the pioneer builder of the Hindu temples across the country. This was the period when Muslim invaders were on their mission of temple destruction. She not only restored many of the temples but also constructed many new temples across the length and breadth of Bharat. Her vision and commitment need salutation. Somnath Temple in Gujarat and Kashi Vishwanath at Varanasi are prominent amongst the list of restored temples.

Belonging to the Dhangar community, she was among the few girls who learnt to read and write in that era. Malhar Rao Holkar, then the Holkar ruler of Indore, got her married at the age of eight to his son Khanderao, after a chance meeting. Khanderao lost his life in the 1754 battle in Rajasthan. The following events lead up to the legendary 1761 Battle of Panipat . Malhar Rao himself passed away in 1765 followed by the death of Khanderao’s son in 1767 who assumed the throne for a couple of years, with Ahilyabai as the regent. Ahilyabai then became the queen of Indore in 1767.

During this period, the Peshwa’s rule in Pune had significantly weakened in the aftermath of the loss at Panipat. Their regional satraps Holkars (Indore), Gaikwads (Baroda), Bhonsles (Nagpur) and Scindias (Gwalior) were all gaining prominence in their own right in their respective territories.

The biggest challenge Ahilyabai faced at the start of her reign was the constant plundering from the tribal population living in pockets to the west of her kingdom. She led the Holkar army in some of these battles against the intruders, establishing order in the kingdom. Ahilyabai set up her capital at the ancient city of Maheshwar on the banks of the Narmada River. The mighty fort that she built stands firm even today, overlooking a broad stretch of the Narmada. Although Holkars were based in Indore, she distinguished between her capital Maheshwar as the seat of power and Indore as the center for all economic activity. Under her rule, Indore prospered into a major trading hub from being a small town.