Did Ahilyabai Holkar build Kashi Vishwanath Temple?
Yes. The present Kashi Vishwanath Temple was built around 1780 under the patronage of Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar (1725–1795), the ruler of the Maratha Holkar state of Indore. She built it beside the site of the temple demolished in 1669. She also funded temples, ghats and rest-houses at many pilgrimage places across India.
Quick facts
- Lived
- 1725–1795
- Ruled
- Holkar state (Malwa), from Maheshwar
- Kashi Vishwanath
- Present temple built around 1780
- Also in Varanasi
- Ahilya Ghat bears her name
On this page
Who was Ahilyabai Holkar?
Ahilyabai Holkar was born in 1725 in Chondi (in present-day Maharashtra). She married into the Holkar family, rulers of a Maratha state in Malwa, and after the deaths of her husband Khande Rao and her father-in-law Malhar Rao Holkar she governed the state herself from 1767 until her death in 1795, with her capital at Maheshwar on the Narmada.
Historians remember her as a capable administrator and an exceptional patron of religious and public works.
Rebuilding Kashi Vishwanath
After the demolition of 1669, worship of Vishweshwara continued in Kashi, but there was no great temple. Historical sources describe the present temple as built around 1780 under Ahilyabai Holkar's patronage, on a site beside the earlier temple.
The building is modest in size compared with its importance — a reminder of the constrained setting of the old city — but it re-established a temple for the Jyotirlinga that has stood ever since.
A wider legacy
Ahilyabai Holkar's patronage reached pilgrimage places across India. Historical accounts credit her with temples, ghats, wells and rest-houses at sites including Somnath, Gaya, Dwarka, Rameswaram and many others. In Varanasi, Ahilya Ghat is named after her.
Her work is a major reason she is honoured today in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and among pilgrims throughout India.
After Ahilyabai
Later patrons added to the temple: a colonnade in the Gyanvapi precinct is attributed to Baiza Bai of Gwalior (1828), and Maharaja Ranjit Singh donated the gold for the spire. See the Golden Temple.
Frequently asked questions
When did Ahilyabai Holkar rebuild Kashi Vishwanath?
Around 1780, according to most historical sources.
Which other temples did Ahilyabai Holkar build?
Historical accounts credit her with works at many pilgrimage sites, including Somnath, Gaya, Dwarka and Rameswaram, alongside ghats and rest-houses.
Is there a ghat named after Ahilyabai in Varanasi?
Yes, Ahilya Ghat on the Varanasi riverfront is named after her.
Sources and further reading
We link to primary and authoritative sources. External links open in a new tab.
- Ahilyabai Holkar (encyclopaedia entry with cited references) (opens in a new tab)
Wikipedia — Reference work, checked September 2026
- Kashi Vishwanath Temple (encyclopaedia entry with cited references) (opens in a new tab)
Wikipedia — Reference work, checked September 2026
- Banaras: City of Light — Diana L. Eck (Knopf, 1982; Columbia University Press reprint) (opens in a new tab)
Columbia University Press — Scholarly source, checked September 2026
Written and maintained by the KashiVishwanathTemple.net Editorial Team. Last updated . Found an error? Tell us — see our editorial policy.
Related guides
- Temple ReconstructionA careful account of the destruction and rebuilding of Kashi Vishwanath Temple from 1194 to 1780, what historical sources say, and where accounts differ.
- HistoryExplore the history and significance of Kashi Vishwanath Temple, its Jyotirlinga tradition, reconstruction history and connection with Kashi.
- Golden TempleWhy Kashi Vishwanath is called the Golden Temple of Varanasi: Maharaja Ranjit Singh's gift of gold in the 1830s, the 2022 sanctum gilding and the golden spire.
- GhatsA guide to the ghats of Varanasi: what a ghat is, the most important ghats from Assi to Panchganga, bathing and cremation ghats, boat rides, etiquette and a walking plan.
- ArchitectureA visitor's guide to Kashi Vishwanath Temple architecture: the nagara-style spire, the gold-plated domes, the sanctum and the shrines and features around it.
- Jyotirlinga HistoryHow the Jyotirlinga tradition developed, what the Shiva Purana and the Jyotirlinga Stotram say about Kashi, and the tradition of the linga's survival through history.