Ahilyabai Holkar
Ahilyabai Holkar Jayanti is the birth anniversary of Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar, the hereditary noble queen of the Maratha Empire, in early-modern India. Ahilya Bai Holkar (31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795) established Maheshwar (in Madhya Pradesh) as the seat of Holkar Dynasty.
31 May 2025 is Ahilyabai Holkar Jayanti, date-wise, as per Gregorian Calendar.
After the demise of her husband Khande Rao Holkar and father-in-law Malhar Rao Holkar, Ahilya Bai herself undertook the affairs of Holkar dynasty. She defended the Malwa state against intruders and personally led armies into battle, with Tukoji Rao Holkar as her military commander.
Ahilya Bai was a great pioneer and builder of Hindu temples who constructed hundreds of temples and Dharmashalas throughout India. She is specially renowned for refurbishing & reconsecrating some of the most sacred sites of Hindu pilgrimage that had been desecrated and demolished in the previous century by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
The following structures were (re)constructed by Ahilyabai.
Alampur (Madhya Pradesh) – Harihareshwar, Batuk, Malharimarthand, Surya, Renuka, Ram Hanuman Temples, Shriram Temple, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Maruti Temple, Narsinh Temple, Khanderao Martand Temple, Memorial of Malharrao (I)
Amarkantak(Madhya Pradesh)- Construction of Shri Vishweshwar Temple, Kotithirth Temple, Gomukhi Temple, Dharamshala & Vansh Kund
Ambegaon – Lamps for temple
Anand Kanan – Vishweshwar Temple
Aundha Nagnath Temple, destroyed during Aurangzeb’s conquests, rebuilt by Ahilyabai Holkar.
Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh)– Construction of Shri Rama Temple, Shri Treta Rama Temple, Shri Bhairava Temple, Nageshwar/Siddhnath Temple, Sarayu Ghat, well, Swargadwari Mohatajkhana & Dharamshalas
Badrinath (Uttarakhand) – Construction of Shri Kedareshwar Temple and Hari Temple, Dharamshalas (at Rangdachati, Bidarchati, Vyasaganga, Tunganath, Pawali), construction of many kundas (at Gaurkund, Kundachatri), a garden and a kunda of warm water at Devprayag, pastoral land for cows
Beed – Renovation of a Ghat & the Khandeshwari temple.
Belur (Karnataka) – Construction of Ganapati, Panduranga, Jaleshwar, Khandoba, Tirthraja and Fire temples & a Kunda
Bhanpura – Nine Temples and Dharmashala
Bharatpur(Rajasthan) – Construction of a Temple, Dharmashala, Kunda & Ghat
Bhimashankar – Garibkhana
Bhusawal(Maharashtra) – Construction of Changadev Temple
Bitthur – Bhramaghat
Burhanpur (Madhya Pradesh) – Construction of Raj Ghat, Ram Ghat, Kunda
Chandwad – Vishnu Temple and Renuka Temple
Chaundi – Chaudeshwaridevi Temple, Sineshwar Mahadev temple,
Ahilyeshwar Temple, Dharamshala, Ghat,
Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh – Pranpratishta of Shri Ramachandra & 4 other temples
Cikhalda – Annakshetra (public building from where food would be distributed among sadhus free of cost)
Dwarka (Gujarat) – Mohatajkhana, Pooja House and donation of some villages to the priests of the Dwarkadhish Temple
Ellora (Maharashtra) – Commissioning the last layer of paintings decorating the shrine of Kailasanath Temple within the Ellora Caves
Gangotri – Vishwanath, Kedarnath, Annapurna and Bhairav Temples, many Dharmashalas
Gaya (Bihar) – Reconstruction of the Vishnupad Temple in 1787 which had been previously desecrated & demolished by Aurangzeb in 1669.
Gokarna – Rewaleshwar Mahadev temple, Holkar Wada, Garden and Garibkhana
Grishneshwar(Maharashtra ) – Construction of the Grishneshwar Shiva temple and the Shivalaya Tirth
Handiya – Siddhanath Temple, ghat and Dharmashala
Haridwar(Uttarakhand) – Construction of the Kushavarta Ghat on the river Ganga & 2 Dharmashalas
Indore – Many Temples and ghats
Jalgaon – Ram Mandir
Jamghat – Bhumi dwar
Jalgaon – Land donated for Ramdas Swami Math
Jejuri – Malhargautameshwar, Vitthal, Martand Temple, Janai Mahadev and Malhar lakes
Karmanasini River – Bridge
Kedarnath – Dharmashala and Kund
Kolhapur – Facilities for temple pooja
Kumher – Well and Memorial of Prince Khandera
Khargone – fort and many temples and ghats
Kurukshetra (Haryana) – Construction of 2 Shiva Temples, Panchkund Ghat & Laxmikund Ghat
Maheshwar – Hundreds of temples, ghats, dharmashalas and houses
Mamaleshwar Mahadev Himachal Pradesh – Lamps
Manasa Devi – Seven temples
Mandleshwar – Shiv Temple Ghat
Mangaon – Datta Mandir, Near Sawantwadi, Konkan, Maharashtra, India
Meerut Chandi Devi Temple
Miri (Ahmednagar) – Bhairav Temple in 1780
Naimabar(MP) – Temple
Nandurbar – At Temple, Well, Brahmanpuri Dantlochan Ganpati and Shiva temple.
Nathdwara (Rajasthan) – Construction of Ahilya Kund, Temple, Well & Dharmashala
Nandurkhi BK – Well
Neelkantha Mahadev – Shivalaya and Gomukh
Namisharanya (Uttar Pradesh) – Construction of Mahadev Madi, Nimsar Dharmashala, Go-ghat & Cakratirtha Kunda
Nimgaon (Nashik) – Well
Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh) – Renovation of the temples of Mamaleshwar Mahadev, Amaleshwar & Trambakeshwar Temples, completing the construction of Gauri-Somnath temple, construction of a Dharmashala & pond, donation of a silver mask for adoration of the Shivalinga
Ozar (Ahmednagar) – 2 wells and kund
Panj Tirath, Peshawar – Ahilyabai Holkar rebuilt the current temple at this site. Local tradition says that Ahilyabai had to leave in three days in the wake of Afghan invasions. The temple was built within three days under her supervision.
Panchavati, Nasik – Shri Ram Temple, Gora Mahadev temple, Dharmashala, Vishweshwar Temple, Ramghat, Dharmashala
Parli Vaijnath(Maharastra) – Renovation of the temple in 1784
Pandharpur (Maharashtra) – Construction of Shri Rama Temple, Tulsibag, Holkarwada, Sabha Mandap, Dharmashala, Bajirao well. and donation of silver utensils to the Vitthal Temple, Pandharpur
Pimplas (Nashik) – well
Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) – Construction of Vishnu Temple, Dharmashala, Garden, Ghat
Pune – Ghat
Puntambe (Maharashtra) – Construction of a Ghat on the Godavari river
Puri (Odisha) – Shri Ramachandra Temple, Dharmashala and Garden, embelli
Pushkar (Rajasthan) – Construction of Ganapati Temple, a Dharmashala & Garden
Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) – Construction of Hanumana Temple, Shri Radha Krishna Temple, a Dharmashala, Well & Garden
Rampura – Four Temples, Dharmashala and houses
Raver – Keshav Kund
Rishikesh – Many temples including Shrinathji and Govardhan ram temples
Sakargaon – well
Sambhalgram (Uttar Pradesh) – Construction of Lakshminarayana Temple and two wells
Sangamner – Ram Temple
Saptashrungi – Dharmashala
Sardhana Meerut – Chandi Devi Temple
Prabhas Patan (Gujarat) – Renovation and Pranaprathistha(consecration) of the Somnath temple in 1785 which had been previously desecrated & demolished on the orders of Aurangzeb in 1665.
Siddhivinayak temple’s inner sanctum at Siddhatek in Ahmednagar District
Shri Nagnath (Darukhvan) – Started pooja in 1784
Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) – Construction of a temple
Shri Shambhu Mahadev Mountain Shingnapur (Maharashtra) – Well
Shri Vighneshwar – Lamps
Sinhpur – Shiv Temple and ghat
Sulpeshwar – Mahadev Temple, annakshetra
Sultanpur (Khandesh) – Temple
Tarana – Tilabhandeshwar Shiv temple, Khedapati, Shriram Temple, Mahakali Temple
Tehari (Bundelkhand) – Construction of a Dharmashala
Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra) – Construction of a bridge on the Kushavarta Ghat
Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) – Construction of temples of Chintamani Ganapati, Janardana, Shri Lila Purushottama, Balaji Tilakeshwar, Ramjanaki Ras Mandal, Gopala, Balaji, and many other temples, 13 ghats on the river Shipra, well and many Dharmashalas
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) – Reconstruction of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in 1780[19] which had been previously desecrated, demolished & converted into a mosque by Aurangzeb in 1669. Construction of 9 temples including those of Shri Tarakeshwar, Shri Gangaji, Ahilya Dwarkeshwar, Gautameshwar; (re)construction of Ghats including Manikarnika Ghat, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Janana Ghat, Ahilya Ghat, Shitala Ghat; construction of Uttarkashi Dharmashala, Rameshwar Panchkoshi Dharmashala, Kapila Dhara Dharmashala & gardens
Mathura & Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh) – Construction of Chain Bihari Temple, Kaliyadalana Ghat, Chiraghat, and many other ghats on the river Yamuna, Dharmashala, Annaksetra, thereby reviving pilgrimage to the site whose prominent temples had been desecrated & demolished by Aurangzeb in 1670.
Wafgaon (Rajgurunagar, Pune) – Holkar Wada and one well
Ambad (Maharashtra) -Matsodari Devi Mandir
Vikharan (Shirpur Dist: Dhule Maharashtra) Well
Ahilyabai arranged for supplying water from the river Ganga collected at Gangotri to be received by the following temples :
Rameshwara Jyotirlinga, Tamil Nadu
Mallikarjunaswamy Jyotirlinga, Andhra Pradesh
Janardanaswamy temple, Kerala
Padmanabhaswamy temple, Kerala
Venkateshwara (Tirupati Balaji) temple, Andhra Pradesh
Mahabaleshwara temple, Karnataka
Subrahmanyeshwara temple, Andhra Pradesh
Pasupateshwara temple, Tamil Nadu
Dwarkadhish temple, Gujarat
Ranchhorji temple, Gujarat
Utkanteshwara temple, Gujarat
Vaijanath temple, Maharashtra
Tryambakeshwara Jyotirlinga, Maharashtra
Panchavati temple, Maharashtra
Matrugaya temple, Gujarat
Siddheshwara temple, Maharashtra
Bhimashankara Jyotirlinga, Maharashtra
Pandharpur Panduranga temple, Maharashtra
Eklingji temple, Rajasthan
Somanath Jyotirlinga, Gujarat
Nathadwara Shrinathji temple, Rajasthan,
Vriddheshwara temple, Maharashtra
Ghrishneshwara temple, Maharashtra
Loteshwara temple, Gujarat
Rajarajeshwara temple, Kerala
Mahakaleshwara Jyotirlinga, Madhya Pradesh
Omkareshwara Jyotirlinga, Madhya Pradesh
Kashi Viswanath Jyotirlinga, Uttar Pradesh
Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga, Jharkhand
Most of these services at present are maintained by The Khasgi (Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Charities) Trust of Indore.