300th birth anniversary of Lokmata Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar

On the occasion of the 300th birth anniversary of Lokmata Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai Mahila Sashaktikaran Mahasammelan in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on 31 May.

• The Prime Minister also released a commemorative postage stamp and a special coin dedicated to Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai. The Rs 300 coin will feature a portrait of Ahilyabai Holkar.
• He also presented the National Devi Ahilyabai Award to a woman artist for contribution in tribal, folk, and traditional arts.

About Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai

• The Prime Minister acknowledged Devi Ahilyabai’s contribution to the textile sector, establishing new industries for the world-renowned Maheshwari sarees, significantly benefiting the country’s weavers.
• He narrated that Devi Ahilyabai had invited a few saree weaving families from Junagarh, Gujarat to start the same around 250-300 years ago. Ahilyabai was born on 31 May 1725 in the village of Chaundi, in the present-day Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra.
• Devi Ahilyabai Holkar will always be remembered for her significant social reforms including advocacy for raising the minimum age for girls’ marriage, securing women’s right to property, and supporting widows’ remarriage—issues that were difficult to even discuss.
• Her most notable contribution was the renovation and repair of the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple in 1780. Recognizing this contribution of hers, a statue of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar has been installed in Kashi Vishwanath temple.
• Devi Ahilyabai is also credited for the construction of Old (Juna) Somnath temple in Gujarat.
• Ahilyabai also established a textile industry in Maheshwar, which today is very famous for its Maheshwari sarees. With a keen interest in religion and charity, she built numerous temples including two of the twelve Jyotirlingas.