Talk:Ahalyābāī Holkar: The Queen of Dharm

By Vishal Agarwal

The Poor Girl becomes a Queen:

Ahalyābāī was born to a poor farmer close to the city of Pune in western India. One day, king Malhārrāo Holkar of Indore was passing through the region when he noticed Ahalyābāī praying at a Śiva maṇḍir. He was very impressed by her good manners and devotion to Bhagavān Śiva and decided to marry her to his son, prince Khaṇḍerāo Holkar of Indore.

Khaṇḍerāo and Ahalyābāī together had a son named Malerāo. Unfortunately, in a battle in the year 1754, her husband Khaṇḍerāo died. King Malhārrāo was shattered, and was sorry to see his daughter-in-law widowed. But soon, he recovered from his sorrow, and announced, “Ahalyābāī, now you are my son. I want that after my death, you rule the kingdom till Malerāo becomes an adult.” He decided to train her in the art of administration, and also took her whenever he fought battles. And so, in 1766, when Malhārrāo passed away, Ahalyābāī Holkar became the queen of Indore.

And yet, another tragedy struck Ahalyābāī Holkar soon. Her son died too, and now she was left alone.

The Bravery of the Young Queen:

Thinking that she was a weak woman, the king of Pune, Peśvā Raghobā, started harassing her. He demanded that the queen give the wealth from her kingdom’s treasure to his kingdom. But Ahalyābāī firmly refused and replied, “The wealth of my kingdom belongs to Bhagavān Śiva. Raghobā, you are a Brāhmaṇa. Therefore, if you come and beg for money from me, I can give it to you in charity because our dharm asks us to do charity to Brāhmaṇas.”

Raghobā was very annoyed and he landed at Indore with his army to defeat her in a battle. Queen Ahalyābāī sent him a message, “If you win the war against me, how does it matter? After all, you will have defeated a woman. But if I defeat you, the whole of India will make fun of you and say that you lost to a woman.”

Peśvā Raghobā felt very ashamed, and instead asked that he stay as a guest in her palace for a month. During his stay, Peśvā Raghobā saw that the queen was truly a very dhārmic lady, an intelligent ruler, and a very just administrator. Finally, he left her kingdom, full of admiration for her.

Ahalyābāī Holkar as a Great Queen:

Ahalyābāī Holkar, the pious and humble queen of Indore in central India, ruled the kingdom for almost 30 years (1767–1795) with great skill and justice. She invited rich merchants from all over India to settle in her kingdom so that it became very prosperous. She also appointed poor Hindu Bhīl tribals to guard the highways so that traders and travelers did not get robbed. Peace prevailed during her benign rule. Trade flourished and merchants and farmers in her kingdom became very rich.

During 500 years of Islamic rule, many Hindu temples had been damaged or destroyed. The queen repaired numerous old and crumbling temples not only in her own kingdom but in many other kingdoms. An important temple that she got reconstructed was the Viśvanāth mandir in the holy city of Vārāṇasī. The gold to cover its dome was donated by Mahārājā Raṇjīt Siṅgh of Punjab. This is one of the holiest temples of Hindus. She also repaired the ghāṭas on the river Gaṅgā, got the frescoes at the Ellorā temple repainted, and gave donations to several other temples all over India.

Protector of the Weak:

A widow herself, she opened a department in her government to ensure that widows in her kingdom were not deprived of their inheritance, and that they were able to take care of their own children. She spent the money from her treasury for opening schools for the poor, for constructing roads and for establishing rest-houses for travelers on the highways. Every day, she distributed clothes and food to the poor and to Hindu sādhus. She also got constructed mosques for her Muslim subjects. Due to her charitable activities, people regarded her as a saint in her own lifetime.

Her Simplicity and Humility:

And yet, Ahalyābāī lived a very simple and humble life as long as she lived. She did not live in her palace in the city of Indore. Instead, she moved to Maheshvar, a pilgrimage center on the Narmadā river, and carried out her administration from there. Once, two poor widows offered to give their entire wealth to her, saying that they had no use for it. But Ahalyābāī declined to take it and asked them to use it for philanthropic activities instead.

One day, a poet presented her with a book that had several poems in her praise. She just threw the book into the Narmadā river. On another occasion, a famous painter approached her with a request to paint her picture. But she declined, saying that she would prefer that he make paintings depicting the Hindu deities. Although she was the queen, she never wore any jewels or colorful expensive clothing. Instead, she always attired herself in the simple white clothes of a Hindu widow, and was frequently seen carrying a small śivaliṅga, to which she offered worship with a lot of bhakti. Ahalyābāī did not differentiate between the rich and the poor when they brought their appeals to her.

The Honesty of Ahalyābāī Holkar:

Once, king Mahādjī Scindia, the ruler of the neighboring kingdom of Gwalior, proposed an unethical deal to her. The deal would have benefited her kingdom, but she refused to accept his proposal because it was against the teachings of Hindu dharm. King Scindia got very angry and threatened her, “Remember Ahalyābāī, we are men and you are just a woman. How dare you refuse my proposal?”

Ahalyābāī sent the reply back, “So what if you are a man? I am not weak. I am the daughter-in-law of king Malhārrāo. If you have guts, come and invade my kingdom with your army and I will prove who is weaker – you or I. I will see to it that you get tied to elephant chains and dragged on the streets.” King Scindia got scared at the brave response of queen Ahalyābāī Holkar and promptly withdrew his steps.

The Queen and her Dishonest Official:

The noble queen Ahalyābāī Holkar, a widow herself, opened a department in her government to ensure that the property and other rights of widows were protected. She also spent a lot of her kingdom’s money to provide for poor and destitute widows. One day, she learned that the official who was in charge of taking care of the funds of that department was stealing money that was meant for the widows.

She summoned the official and took him on a boat ride to the middle of the Narmadā river. Then, showing him the account books, she said to him, “Look, I know that you have manipulated the accounts so that no one catches you for stealing money meant for the poor widows. I want you to throw these account books into the river with your own hands. Then no one will have any proof that you are a thief because there will be no accounts to cross-check against the stolen money.”

The official broke down and asked her, “Your majesty, I confess that I have stolen money. Then why do you want to destroy the proof that you can use to prosecute me?” The queen replied, “I do not want the poor widows to find it out, because if they do, then they will lose all faith in me. They will lose hope that the government is sincerely trying to do good to them. This department of my government is the only source of their livelihood. And if they discover that even that is not reliable, they will not have reason to live.”

These words of the noble queen really pierced the heart of the official and he turned over a new leaf. He decided that henceforth, he would be completely honest and would not steal any more money that was meant to provide for the poor widows.

The Legacy of Ahalyābāī Holkar:

In her own lifetime, all the big rulers of India became her admirers, including the Niẓām, the Muslim ruler of Hyderabad. The fame of this humble and pious ruler of the kingdom of Indore lasts even today. To perpetuate her memory, the citizens of the city of Indore instituted an award in her name. Her descendants have started a trust to continue her philanthropic works up to this day.

The government of India has also released a postal stamp in her honor. And when Hindus undertake pilgrimages to the sacred towns of Vārāṇasī, Rāmeśvaram, Gayā, Dvārakā, Ayodhyā, Kāñcī etc., they are reminded of the charities of the noble queen due to which the temples there were constructed or repaired. In fact, whenever a ghāṭa on a river, or a temple in a holy town is found to be unregistered, people name it after Ahalyābāī Holkar even today.

Truly, queen Ahalyābāī Holkar was one of the most illustrious rulers that Hindus have had, and an unparalleled champion of dharm and traditions in recent times.