WOMEN & WORSHIP

 

Thousands of religious places of worship are built up across the globe and contribution of women in such creations of marvel too is noteworthy.  

 

The Virupaksha Temple at Pattadakal was built by Queen Lokamahadevi in 740 AD to commemorate her husband King Vikramaditya II’s victory over the Pallava rulers. A beautiful blend of the north Indian Nagara style and the south Indian Dravida style of temple architecture, the magnificent temple is also called the Lokeshwara Temple as a tribute to the queen who built it.

 

Mariam bint Muhammad Al-Fihriya Al-Qurashiya, a devout woman and sister of Fatima al-Fihri, initiated and built the Andalusian Mosque in 859

 

An intricately constructed stepwell, Rani Ka Vav was built by Udaymati for her husband King Bhimdev I of the Solanki dynasty in the 11th century. As an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water, designed in the Maru-Gurjara style, Rani Ka Vav has seven levels of stairs, more than 500 principal sculptures and over a thousand minor ones on its panelled walls.

 

The famous Zorashtrian Atash Behram at Udwada, is the oldest Parsee fire temple in India, dated to the eighth century and the current temple housing was built in 1742 by Motlibai Wadia from Bombay.

 

Built in 1915 by Maharani Mohini Bai Sisodia, wife of the then king of Kashmir, Raja Hari Singh, Mohinishwara Shivalay Temple stands proudly on a small hill, right in the middle of Gulmarg. With its bright red sloping roof framed against a background of snowy peaks, the picturesque temple is visible from almost every corner of Gulmarg town.

 

Built in 1447 by Rajye Bibi, queen of Sultan Mahmood Sharqi of Jaunpur, the Lal Darwaza mosque is dedicated to Saint Sayyid Ali Dawood Kutubbudin. The queen also founded the first school for girls in the region during her husband’s reign.

 

Rani Rashmoni Devi born into Mahishya family of Kolkata in 1793, funded many philanthropic projects that included roads, ghats, libraries and her biggest legacy is the beautiful Dakshineswar Kali Temple.

 

In Delhi, we have the 16th century Khairul Manazil Masjid built by Maham Anga, the foster mother of the Mughal ruler Jalaluddin Akbar. The Khairul Manazil Masjid, built in 1561 by Anga, is said to be the first mosque in Delhi to be commissioned by a woman.

 

There are several such religious places of worship built by women in past and amongst them, the one that outshines all is

Rani Ahilyabai Holkar, who was a great pioneer and builder of temples and built hundreds of temples and Dharmashalas throughout India.

 

Her greatest achievement was to rebuild the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in 1776, which was dedicated to Lord Shiva; the presiding deity of the city of Varanasi, one of the holiest sites of pilgrimage.

 

Outside Malwa, she built dozens of temples, ghats, wells, tanks and rest-houses across an area stretching from the Himalayas to pilgrimage centres in South India. The Bharatiya Sanskriti Kosh lists as sites she embellished, Kashi, Gaya, Somnath, Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Kanchi, Avanti, Dwarka, Badrinarayan, Rameshwar and Jagannath Puri.

 

The list of structures that were constructed / reconstructed by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar includes:

 

Alampur (Madhya Pradesh) – Harihareshwar, Batuk, Malharimarthand, Surya, Renuka, Ram Hanuman Temples, Shriram Temple, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Maruti Temple, Narsinh Temple, Khanderao Martand Temple, Memorial of Malharrao (I)

 

Amarkantak (Madhya Pradesh)- Shri Vishweshwar Temple, Kotithirth Temple, Gomukhi Temple, Dharamshala & Vansh Kund

 

Ambad (Maharashtra) -Matsodari Devi Mandir

 

Anand Kanan – Vishweshwar Temple

 

Aundha - Nagnath Temple,

 

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh)– Shri Rama Temple, Shri Treta Rama Temple, Shri Bhairava Temple, Nageshwar/Siddhnath Temple, Sarayu Ghat, Swargadwari Mohatajkhana & Dharamshalas

 

Badrinath (Uttarakhand) –Shri Kedareshwar Temple and Hari Temple, Dharamshalas (at Rangdachati, Bidarchati, Vyasaganga, Tunganath, Pawali), construction of many kundas (at Gaurkund, Kundachatri), a garden and a kunda of warm water at Devprayag, pastoral land for cows

 

Beed – Khandeshwari temple.

 

Belur (Karnataka) –Ganapati, Panduranga, Jaleshwar, Khandoba, Tirthraja and Fire temples & a Kunda

 

Bhanpura – Nine Temples and Dharmashala

 

Bharatpur (Rajasthan) –Shiva Temple, Dharmashala, Kunda & Ghat

 

Bhusawal (Maharashtra) –Changadev Temple

 

Chandwad – Vishnu Temple and Renuka Temple

 

Chaundi – Chaudeshwaridevi Temple, Sineshwar Mahadev temple, Ahilyeshwar Temple, Dharamshala, Ghat,

 

Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh – Pranpratishta of Shri Ramachandra & 4 other temples

 

Dwarka (Gujarat) – Mohatajkhana, Pooja House and donation of some villages to the priests of the Dwarkadhish Temple

 

Ellora (Maharashtra) - Commissioning the last layer of paintings decorating the shrine of Kailasanath Temple within the Ellora Caves

 

Gangotri – Vishwanath, Kedarnath, Annapurna and Bhairav Temples, many Dharmashalas

 

Gaya (Bihar) – Vishnupad Temple

 

Gokarna – Rewaleshwar Mahadev temple, Holkar Wada,

 

Grishneshwar (Maharashtra ) – Construction of the Grishneshwar Shiva temple and the Shivalaya Tirth

 

Handiya – Siddhanath Temple, ghat and Dharmastala

 

Haridwar(Uttarakhand) – Construction of the Kushavarta Ghat on the river Ganga & 2 Dharmashalas

 

Indore – Many Temples and ghats

 

Jalgaon – Ram Mandir, Ramdas Swami Math

 

Jamghat – Bhumi dwar

 

Jejuri – Malhargautameshwar, Vitthal, Martand Temple, Janai Mahadev and Malhar lakes

 

Kurukshetra (Haryana) – Construction of 2 Shiva Temples, Panchkund Ghat & Laxmikund Ghat

 

Maheshwar – Hundreds of temples, ghats, dharmashalas and houses

 

Manasa Devi – Seven temples

 

Mandleshwar – Shiv Temple Ghat

 

Mangaon – Datta Mandir, Near Sawantwadi, Konkan, Maharashtra, India

 

Meerut - Chandi Devi Temple

 

Miri (Ahmednagar) – Bhairav Temple in 1780

 

Nandurbar –Temple, Well, Brahmanpuri Dantlochan Ganpati and Shiva temple.

 

Nathdwara (Rajasthan) – Construction of Ahilya Kund, Temple, Well & Dharmashala

 

Neelkantha Mahadev – Shivalaya and Gomukh

 

Namisharanya(Uttar Pradesh) – Construction of Mahadev Madi, Nimsar Dharmashala, Go-ghat & Cakratirtha Kunda

 

Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh) – Renovation of the temples of Mamaleshwar Mahadev, Amaleshwar & Trambakeshwar Temples, completing the construction of Gauri-Somnath temple, construction of a Dharmashala & pond, donation of a silver mask for adoration of the Shivalinga

 

Panj Tirath, Peshawar – Rani Ahilyabai Holkar rebuilt the current temple at this site. Local tradition says that Ahilyabai had to leave in three days in the wake of Afghan invasions. The temple was built within three days under her supervision.

 

Panchavati, Nasik – Shri Ram Temple, Gora Mahadev temple, Dharmashala, Vishweshwar Temple, Ramghat, Dharmashala

 

Pandharpur (Maharashtra) – Construction of Shri Rama Temple, Tulsibag, Holkarwada, Sabha Mandap, Dharmashala, Bajirao well. and donation of silver utensils to the Vitthal Temple, Pandharpur

 

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) – Construction of Vishnu Temple, Dharmashala, Garden, Ghat

 

Puri (Odisha) – Shri Ramachandra Temple, Dharmashala and Garden

 

Pushkar (Rajasthan) – Construction of Ganapati Temple, a Dharmashala & Garden

 

Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) – Construction of Hanumana Temple, Shri Radha Krishna Temple, a Dharmashala, Well & Garden

 

Rampura – Four Temples, Dharmashala and houses

 

Rishikesh – Many temples including Shrinathji and Govardhan ram temples

 

Sambhalgram (Uttar Pradesh) – Construction of Lakshminarayana Temple and two wells

 

Sangamner – Ram Temple

 

Sardhana Meerut – Chandi Devi Temple

 

Prabhas Patan (Gujarat) – Renovation and Pranaprathistha(consecration) of the Somnath temple in 1785 which had been previously plundered.

 

Sinhpur – Shiv Temple and ghat

 

Sulpeshwar – Mahadev Temple, annakshetra

 

Tarana – Tilabhandeshwar Shiv temple, Khedapati, Shriram Temple, Mahakali Temple

 

Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) – Construction of temples of Chintamani Ganapati, Janardana, Shri Lila Purushottama, Balaji Tilakeshwar, Ramjanaki Ras Mandal, Gopala, Balaji, and many other temples, 13 ghats on the river Shipra, well and many Dharmashalas

 

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) – Reconstruction of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in 1780, Construction of 9 temples including those of Shri Tarakeshwar, Shri Gangaji, Ahilya Dwarkeshwar, Gautameshwar; reconstruction of Ghats including Manikarnika Ghat, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Janana Ghat, Ahilya Ghat, Shitala Ghat; construction of Uttarkashi Dharmashala, Rameshwar Panchkoshi Dharmashala, Kapila Dhara Dharmashala & gardens

 

Mathura & Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh) – Construction of Chain Bihari Temple, Kaliyadalana Ghat, Chiraghat, and many other ghats on the river Yamuna, Dharmashala, Annaksetra

 

The count itself is mind boggling and wonder if any male / female could have done this task in the entire history of mankind, well we have never come across till date.

 

The name of Rani Ahilyabai Holkar was almost lost in history, but during the recent inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she was remembered with all the zeal and she definitely deserves all the remembrance for being the greatest constructor of temples and preserving the same during her lifetime.

 

 

COURTSEY: WORSHIP COSMETICS