Devotion of Maharani Devi Ahilyabai Holkar towards Ayodhya

If a list is prepared  of people who led Hindu Renunciation  , Maharani  Devi Ahilyabai Holkar's name will figure somewhere in the top . If, in the current day, Hindus can visit and appreciate the centres so integral to the ancient history and evolution of the dharma, a significant part of the credit goes to her. It is unfortunate that most of these places do not bear inscriptions in her name, but it was perhaps her operative style too— the architectural restoration work was carried out of an innate sense of religiosity, and was not linked to politics or gaudy display of wealth. She led a campaign for the revival of Hinduism , throughout India .From Gangotri to Rameshwaram, and from Dwarka to Gaya, she spent money on rebuilding temples destroyed under the Mughal rule, in restoring the past glory of holy sites, in building new temples and in building ghats for easy access to almost all major rivers in the Bharatvarsha.The list of the temple architectural interventions by Ahilyabai is endless. The most significant one, however, is the current Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. Ahilyabai also refurbished the Dashashwamedh Ghat, site of the famous Ganga Aarti, built originally by Nanasaheb Peshwa and the Manikarnika Ghat, the main cremation site in Varanasi.

The Somnath temple, in Gujrat was restored in 1783 by all the Maratha confederates, with significant contribution from Ahilyabai. She contributed to the betterment of facilities at Dwarka as well. At Bhimashankar and Trimbakeshwar, Maharani Ahilyabai constructed bridges and rest areas. With temples and rest areas in Kedarnath, Srisailam, Omkareshwar and Ujjain, Ahilyabai contributed to the improvement of facilities at other holy sites hosting Jyotirlingas too.

Among the imposing temple structures, constructed by Maharani Ahilyabai, which survive today is the Vishnupad Temple in Gaya. Legend has it that this is the site of Lord Vishnu crushing the demon Gayasura, and his footprint is etched in rocks. The temple is built on these rocks bearing 40 cm long footprint of Lord Vishnu. Ahilyabai, despite being a devout Lord Shiva devotee, got this temple constructed in 1787. The Ramachandra temple in Puri, Hanuman temple in Rameshwaram, Shri Vaidyanath temple in Parli Vaijnath and the Sarayu Ghat in Ayodhya all bear her contributions.



In Ayodhya Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar renovated Treta-ka-Thakur temple in 1784, and built the adjoining ghat.  Treta-ka-Thakur refers to an ancient temple constructed by the Raja of Kullu located at the banks of the Sarayu River in Ayodhya  at Naya Ghat. The temple is said to house the idols of Lord Ram which was carved in the ancient times out of black sandstones. The place is considered to be the spot where lord Ram performed an Ashwamedha Yagya. The ancient temple was damaged during the reign of Aurangzeb .Maharani Ahilyabai built another Treta-ka-Thakur and gave an annual assignment of Rs. 231 to it, the sum was paid by the ruler of Indore for a long time.