Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said it is a matter of pride that legendary queen Ahilyabai Holkar was a daughter of Maharashtra.
The CM said the Maharashtra government is inspired by her life and contributions as a benevolent ruler and is committed to working for the welfare of the deprived sections of society.
Fadnavis was speaking at Choundi, the birthplace of 18th-century Indore ruler Ahilyabai Holkar, in Ahilyanagar district on her 300th birth anniversary. The queen is remembered for her exceptional governance, commitment to social welfare, and contributions towards culture and spirituality.
“Ahilyabai blended nationalism and spiritualism. She spent her entire life preserving ‘desh’ (country) and ‘dharm’ (religion). Despite suffering personal losses, she considered her subjects her family and dedicated her life to the restoration of temples and ghats across the country,” Fadnavis said.
Her ideology and legacy as a ruler are relevant to those in charge of governance even after 300 years, he said.
The CM said his government had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the event in Choundi. “But PM Modi said he had to choose between her ‘janmasthal’ (birthplace) and ‘karmasthal (workplace), and he had already chosen the karmasthal (Madhya Pradesh).”
On the occasion, Modi paid rich tribute to Ahilyabai Holkar at an event in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, where he extolled her virtues.
Fadnavis said a multi-lingual commercial film on the life and times of Ahilyabai will be made. The bravery and valour of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj have reached the younger generation due to the film ‘Chhaava’, he said.
“Modiji has promised that he will visit Choundi soon. President Droupadi Murmu has also given a similar assurance,” he said.
Fadnavis said foreign invaders knew that India’s strength lay in their faith and religion, and they could make Indians slaves if monuments related to their faith were destroyed.
“But Ahilyabai committed herself to the restoration of destroyed temples. She constructed ghats and wells in several places across the country,” the CM said.
The wells constructed during her era were such that they never dried up, he said.
“Ahilyabai dedicated her life to preserving desh and dharm, and withstood the onslaught of foreign invaders,” said Fadnavis, adding that it is a matter of pride that such a benevolent ruler was a daughter of Maharashtra.
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