Ahilyabai Holkar, an ideal of what a ruler should be, says Mohan Bhagwat

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on May 30 described the late Holkar queen of Indore, Ahilyabai Holkari, as the “ideal of what a ruler should be like”, in a message marking the 299th birth anniversary of the queen. The late queen was ruler of Indore for nearly three decades in the 18th century, after being widowed early in life, and was considered not only progressive but also contributed to greatly to the revival of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the Maheshwari weaving style.

“Even today, her character is ideal for us. Unfortunately, she became a widow early in life, but despite being a single woman, she not only managed her large kingdom, but also made it bigger, and not only made the kingdom bigger, but also ran it as a good governance. She is the ideal of what kind of ruler should be like,” Mr Bhagwat said in a video message.

Praising her contributions, Mr Bhagwat noted that she had built industries so that the people could get employment and built them so strong that the textile industry of Maheshwar was still running and providing employment to many people. “The word Punyashlok is behind her name. Punyashlok is the ruler who frees the people from all kinds of deprivations. She built industries so that the people could get employment and built them so strong that the textile industry of Maheshwar is still running and employs many people. She also cared for all the sections,” he said.

“She made the tax system of her kingdom well-organized. She cared for the farmers. Her kingdom was good in every way. Efforts to emulate her, to remember her will go on everywhere throughout the year, it is a matter of great joy,” he added.

Events to mark the beginning of the 300th anniversary of the late queen’s birth have been planned and will receive support from the RSS, sources said.