Shinde has also extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the celebrations in Chondi, which were being held for the last three decades.

“The President’s office will inform us about her programme in the next two days,” Shinde, a two-term MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed and now a member of the Legislative Council, said.

Shinde, who draws his lineage to the maternal side of Ahilyabai Holkar, has been organising the birth anniversary celebrations of the Holkar queen, known for her philanthropy and restoration of temples, for the past three decades.

He said Ahilyabai Holkar, who earned the sobriquet ‘Punyashlok’, is remembered for the restoration of 12 Jyotirlingas, the rebuilding of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the construction of ghats along several rivers.

The 300th birth anniversary celebrations are being held across the country by different organisations, including the central government, BJP, RSS and the Maharashtra government.

A meeting of the Maharashtra cabinet was held at Chondi on May 6 and a special package of Rs 681 crore for preservation and conversion of the birthplace of the Holkar queen was approved.

Last year, the Maharashtra government renamed Ahmednagar district as Ahilyanagar in honour of the Holkar queen. PTI SKU SKU KSS KSS