New Delhi: Maharashtra government on Wednesday approved the proposal to rename Ahmednagar as Ahilya Nagar. The district will now be known as Punyashlok Ahilya Devi Nagar, after the Holkar-queen of the Maratha-Malwa kingdom.
Earlier, the Maharashtra government had renamed Aurangabad to 'Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar' and Osmanabad to 'Dharashiv'.
The city of Aurangabad owes its name to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, while Osmanabad bears the name of a ruler from the 20th century who governed the princely state of Hyderabad.
Similarly, Ahmednagar finds its origins in Ahmad Nizam Shah I, the founder of the town in 1949. Ahmad Nizam Shah I was the founder of the Nizam Shahi dynasty and the Ahmadnagar Sultanate.
In a significant move last year, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde declared the intention to rename Ahmednagar after Ahilyabai Holkar. This announcement was made on the birth anniversary of the Malwa queen, as the Chief Minister visited the place of her birth.
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It is to be noted that Ahilyabai Holkar, born into a Marathi family in the village of Chaindi in 1725, ascended to become the Queen of the Malwa kingdom. Following her marriage in 1733 to Khanderao Holkar, heir of the Holkar dynasty in Indore, she took over the reins of the Holkar empire in 1754 after Khanderao's demise in battle. Ahilyabai passed away on August 13, 1795.
Notably, the call to rename Ahmednagar in honour of Ahilyabai Holkar had been circulating for quite a long time. Earlier, BJP MLC Gopichand Padalkar officially had also urged Shinde and Fadnavis, subsequent to their appointments as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively.
Ahmednagar district, recognised for its emphasis on “rural development and co-operation” and its reputation as the “land of seers”, is located in western Maharashtra. It holds the distinction of being the largest district in Maharashtra in terms of geographical expanse.