Somnath and Gyanvapi temples were rebuilt – long ago by Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar

All major places of Hindu pilgrimage owe something to Ahilyabai. Her piety became her power in a world of men.Long before Hindu anxieties over Islamic invasions got inflamed in postIndore’s Rani Ahilyabai Holkar took on the task of temple rebuilding in Somnath and Varanasi. Visitors to these temples encounter her role even today – in the tales told by local people, priests and tour guides.

Rebuilding the demolished Kashi Vishwanath temple was a dream for many Maratha rulers. But only Rani Ahilyabai Holkar made it a reality. Now, two and a half centuries later, her structure is in the eye of a storm.