Holkar, Ahalya Bai

(r. 1761–1795) Hindu queen in the
Holkar dynasty. The family ruled one
of the successor states resulting from
the breakup of the Maratha empire,
whose capital was in the central Indian
city of Indore.
She came to power at a time when
the influence of the Moghul dynasty
had been greatly reduced and moved to
fill the political vacuum that this created.
During her long reign she managed to
wield genuine political power over
much of north-central India. She also
served as a highly visible royal patron at
several Hindu pilgrimage sites, including Benares, where she funded the
reconstruction of the Vishvanath temple, and Haridwar, where she is said to
have paid for the construction of a ghat,
which is a structure that leads to a
sacred bathing (snana) area. For further
287
Holkar, Ahalya Bai
information see Govind S. Sardesai, A
New History of the Marathas, 1986.