Khanderao Holkar

He was heir apparent to his father from 20 January 1734. Khanderao had 10 wives. Ahilyabai Holkar was his first wife, who ruled Indore from 1767 to 1795 after his death. He had one son, Malerao and a daughter, Muktabai. Ahilyabai gently influenced his thinking and mended his wayward nature by repeating her statecraft and training lessons to him and told him stories from the epics.[1]

In 1754, on behest of Mughal Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur's Mir Bakhshi Imad-ul-Mulk, Khanderao laid the seize of Kumher fort of Jat Maharaja Suraj Mal of Bharatpur State who had sided with Ahmad Shah's adversary Safdar Jang. Khanderao was inspecting his troops on an open palanquin in the battle of Kumher when was hit and killed by a cannonball from the Jat army. In Khanderao's honor, Jat Maharaja Suraj Mal built a chattri, in Hindu style of architecture, on his cremation spot at Kumher near Deeg. After his death in 1754, 9 of his 10 wives committed sati but his father Malhar Rao prevented his first wife Ahilya Bai from committing sati.[2] Malhar Rao died in 1766, 12 years after the death of his son Khanderao. Malhar Rao's grandson and Khanderao's young son Male Rao Holkar became the ruler of Indore in 1766, under the regentship of Ahilyabai, but he too died within few months in 1767. Ahilyabai became the ruler of Indore after the death of her son with Khanderao.[3][4]

• Holkar