Maharani Tulsi Bai Holkar (born c. 1788 - 20 December 1817) was a queen of Indore by marriage to Maharaja

Yashwant Rao Holkar Yashwant Rao Holkar (c. 1776-1811) also known as Jaswantrao Holkar belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Empire was the Maharaja of the Maratha Empire. He was a gifted military leader and educated in accountancy as well as literate in ...

, and regent of the Indore State for her Malhar Rao Holkar II between November 1811 – 20 December 1817.

Biography

She was a daughter of Ajiba, a priest of the Mahanubhav sect (महानुभाव पंथ). She became one of the consorts of Yashwant Rao Holkar. Her spouse became king in 1806. Tulsi Bai did not have any children. After the death of

Yashwantrao Holkar Yashwant Rao Holkar (c. 1776-1811) also known as Jaswantrao Holkar belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Empire was the Maharaja of the Maratha Empire. He was a gifted military leader and educated in accountancy as well as literate in ...

in 1811, Tulsi bai became

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

for 4 year old Malhar Rao Holkar II, son of Yashwantrao from another of his wife. When she was on the way to join Baji Rao Peshwa to fight against the British, General

John Malcolm Major-General Sir John Malcolm GCB, KLS (2 May 1769 – 30 May 1833) was a Scottish soldier, diplomat, East India Company administrator, statesman, and historian. Early life Sir John Malcolm was born in 1769, one of seventeen children of Ge ...

arrived near

Mahidpur Mahidpur City is a city and a municipality, near Ujjain city in Ujjain district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The modern town of Mahidpur is situated on the bank of river Shipra. It is located in the Malwa region. At present, the town ...

and started negotiations. Tulsi Bai was in favor of British terms, but some Generals of her army refused. Tulsi Bai was not much in command of the army.
War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1817
' Tension escalated and in the morning of 20 December 1817, her own soldiers beheaded her on the banks of the

Shipra River The Shipra, also known as the Kshipra, is a river in Madhya Pradesh state of central India. The river rises in the North of Dhar district, and flows north across the Malwa Plateau to join the Chambal River at the MP-Rajasthan boundary in Mand ...

near Mahidpur, and her body was thrown in the river. — husband; } — adopted son

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holkar 1788 births 1817 deaths Holkar 19th-century women rulers 19th-century Indian women