Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar (also Ahalya Bai) was the wife of Khanderao Holkar and daughter-in-law of Malhar Rao Halkar I. After the death of her husband and father-in-law, she was crowned as the queen of the Maratha ruled Malwa Kingdom.
In a difficult and unsettled period, Ahalaya Bai governed Indore with extraordinary ability and made it an oasis of justice and peace in the midst of a desert of violence and strife. Her charitable foundations extend all over India.