JOIN USMaharashtra's Ahmednagar to be renamed after Ahilyabai Holkar
In a significant development, the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government has decided to rename Ahmednagar district as Ahilyadevi Holkar Nagar after the Holkar-queen of the Maratha-Malwa kingdom.
Ahilyabai Holkar (May 31, 1725 – August 13, 1795) was a great pioneer and involved in several social causes and helped build hundreds of temples and dharamshalas throughout India.
Ahilyabai Holkar was born Chaundi in Ahmednagar district to a Dhangar family and was married to Khanderao Holkar of the Holkar dynasty of Holkar.
After the demise of her husband Khanderao Holkar and father-in-law Malhar Rao Holkar, Ahilyabai Holkar herself undertook the affairs of the Holkar dynasty. She defended the Malwa state against intruders and personally led armies into battle.
Ahilyabai Holkar is a prominent and influential figure in Indian history and is regarded as one of the most visionary female rulers of the country.
On the occasion of the 298th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar, CM Shinde and Deputy CM Fadnavis visited Chaundi, where the formal announcement was made.
The move follows the Maharashtra government’s decision and subsequent approval of the Centre to change the name of Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad to Dharashiv.
It may be mentioned, the demand to rename Ahmednagar after Ahilyabai Holkar is quite old and a few months back, BJP MLC Gopichand Padalkar made formal requests to Shinde and Fadnavis, after they became the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively.
“We have taken a decision to change the name of Ahmednagar after Ahilyabaii Holkar…it’s the desire of all the people of Maharashtra,” Shinde said amid thunderous applause.
Before Shinde spoke, Fadnavis said: “The new government has changed Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv and Ahmednagar will be renamed after Ahilyabaii Holkar.”
The Ahmednagar district, which is known for its ‘rural development and co-operation’ and as the ‘land of saints’, is situated in western Maharashtra.
The district has the distinction of being the largest in Maharashtra in terms of geographical area. The total geographical area of the district is 17,048 sq km. It is 5.6 per cent of the total area of the state. Ahmednagar district is still known for its identity as a leader in the cooperative sector. India’s first cooperative sugar factory was established in the year 1950 in Pravaranagar. At the end of 2015-16, there were 5295 cooperative societies of all types. Ahmednagar district is in progress in the industrial sector. More than half of the sugar production in Maharashtra is produced in the district alone. At the end of 2016, there were 20 sugar factories in the district.