Now, Ahmednagar to be renamed ‘Ahilyanagar‘ after famed Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar
The Hindu
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced that Ahmednagar city would be renamed ‘Ahilyanagar’ after the 18th century Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar, famed for her piety and benign administration.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced that Ahmednagar city would be renamed ‘Ahilyanagar’ after the 18th century Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar, famed for her piety and benign administration.
Mr. Shinde’s announcement came on the 298th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar, who had proved to be an extremely able ruler in the erstwhile Malwa province in the anarchic 18th century, establishing Maheshwar (in Madhya Pradesh) as the seat of the Holkar dynasty.
“Respecting the public demand, Ahmednagar will now be named after Ahilyadevi Holkar. This decision has been taken by our government. And I am proud that both Devendra Fadnavis [the Deputy CM] and myself are a part of this historic moment,” said Mr. Shinde at a public rally in Chondi, Ahmednagar.
The renaming of Ahmednagar follows the Shinde-Fadnavis government’s move in February this year to rename Aurangabad as ‘Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’ and Osmanabad as ‘Dharashiv.’
The demand for renaming Ahmednagar was started by BJP leader and MLC Gopichand Padalkar, an influential leader of the Dhangar community.
The community has a special reverence for Ahilyabai given that the queen and her father-in-law, Malharrao Holkar – the progenitor of the Holkar dynasty – were from the Dhangar (shepherd) community.
Ahmednagar was founded in 1494 by Ahmad Nizam Shah, who later established an independent Sultanate in Ahmednagar (the Nizamshahi dynasty) after the break up of the Bahamani Sultanate into five successor states known collectively as the Deccani Sultanates.
As an individual of influence, blessed with a larger-than-life personality Lord Byron captured the imagination of many who crossed his path. Beyond his literary genius, his life was filled with intriguing stories that are often overlooked—like keeping a pet bear at university and possibly inspiring the first vampire in English literature. Dive in to uncover the fascinating facets of this enigmatic figure.