Malhar Rao Holkar was the Maratha ruler who established the Holkar dynasty. He passed away on 20th May, 1766. His rule ranged from Malawa to Punjab and today he is dear to millions of people. Malhar Rao was the first Maratha subedar in malwa area of central India. He was born into a family of shepherds and after becoming a ruler he expanded the Maratha Empire to Punjab. He is said to have joined the service of Peshwa in 1721 and soon became subedar. Malhar Rao Holkar, with his courage and valour, became close to Peshwa and moved on to success.

He ruled Indore in central India as an independent member of the Maratha Federation till 1818 and his posthumous daughter-in-law Ahilyabai Holkar took over the reins of governance between 1767 and 1795. Let us tell you all that he was the commander-in-chief of the Marathas' crucial victory over Delhi in 1736. Maratha sardar Malhar Rao Holkar, who showed his mettle in many battles in history, is said to have fled the battle in the third battle of Panipat.

But even today there are many historians who do not believe this. Many historians say that Maratha sardar Malhar Rao Holkar had taken a heavy iron from Ahmad Shah Abdali's army in this battle too, but when Vishwas Rao Peshwa died in the war and the defeat of the Marathas began to seem certain, Sadashiv Rao Bhai, the commander of the Marathas, called Maratha sardar Malhar Rao Holkar and urged him to take his wife Parvatibai to a safe place. On hearing this, Maratha Sardar Malhar Rao Holkar took Parvati Bai away. After this incident, many people say that Malhar Rao fled the war.

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