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Maratha invasions of Bengal

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The Maratha invasions of Bengal (1742–1751), also known as the Maratha expeditions in Bengal, were the frequent invasions by the Maratha forces in the Bengal Subah (Bengal, Bihar, parts of modern Orissa), after their successful campaign in the Carnatic region at the Battle of Trichinopoly. The leader of the expeditions was Raghoji Bhonsle of Nagpur.[3] The Marathas invaded Bengal many times from April 1742 to March 1751,[4] which caused widespread economic losses in the Bengal Subah.

Maratha Invasions of Bengal
Part of Decline of the Mughal Empire

A Maratha Ditch, constricted around forts and factories as protection against Maratha raids
DateApril 1742 – March 1751
Location
Bengal Subah (Bengal, Bihar, parts of modern Orissa)
Result Stalemate
Territorial
changes		 Incorporation of Orissa into the Nagpur State[1]
Belligerents

Maratha Confederacy

 Bengal Subah
Commanders and leaders
Raghoji I
Bhaskar Pandit X
Janoji Bhonsle
Sabaji Bhonsle
Mir Habib (Defected Alivardi Khan)		 Alivardi Khan
Mir Jafar
Chitrasen Rai [2]
Rai Durlabh
Ghulam Mustafa Khan
Ataullah Khan
Zainuddin Ahmed X
Abdus Salam
Sheikh Masum  †
Syed Ahmed Khan
Balaji Baji Rao (Joined Alivardi Khan)
Strength
40,000 (in 1742)
12,000 (in 1748)		 15,000 Cavalry and 8,000 Musketeers (in 1748)
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

Invasions of Bengal

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Overview

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The resurgent Maratha Confederacy emerging from Maharashtra quickly repulsed the Mughals and subjugated them to the confines of Delhi. It was during this period they were at the doorsteps of the independent Bengal Subah, particularly Orissa.They conducted raids within Bengal and plundered cities and villages and caused widespread devastation.[5][6] The Marathas initially succeeded against the Bengali forces at the Battle of Jaipur however, throughout all of their attempts the Marathas were never able to succeed in occupying Orissa or any part of Bengal without being kicked out by Nawab Alivardi Khan shortly after.[citation needed]

However due to their relentless attacks and raids the Nawab would be more partial towards signing the treaty eventually agreeing to cede Orissa to the Maratha Confederacy to ensure peace for both states.[7]

First invasion (1742)

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In 1742, Bengal experienced its initial encounter with the Maratha invasion. However, Nawab Alivardi Khan successfully repelled the invasion, although not without the unfortunate consequence of Murshidabad and Hooghly suffering from plundering.[8][9]

Second Invasion (1742)

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Raghoji lead the Marathas and attacked and captured Katwa and Hooghly in Bengal. Alivardi Khan conscripted tribal and peasant levies from Birbhum. He responded to the Maratha attack by directly attacking the Maratha camp at Katwa in the First Battle of Katwa from the rear, at nightfall leading to Bengali victory. The Marathas believing a much larger force had been mobilized, evacuated out of Bengal on 17 September 1742. Bhaskar Pant the Maratha commander, was killed.[10]

Third Invasion (1745)

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The Marathas tried again in 1745 where they succeeded in occupying Orissa to take Katwa. The force of 20,000 horsemen ravaged Murshidabad and moved onwards to Katwa. The force was led by Raghuji Bhonsle, the Maratha ruler of Nagpur where he and his force were defeated by Alivardi Khan at the Second Battle of Katwa.[10]

Fourth invasion (1747)

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The Battle of Burdwan oversaw Alivardi Khan heavily repulsing and defeating the Janoji Bhonsle led Marathas. An army was amassed to defend against the invading Maratha forces at Orissa after the dismissal of Mir Jafar by Alivardi Khan. [11]

Fifth Invasion (1748)

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Janoji Bhonsle and Mir Habib enlisted in the army of Afghans at Rani Sarai to fight against Alivardi Khan at the Battle of Rani Sarai. Alivardi Khan was able to break the Afghan lines and make them retreat through the use of war elephants by his eager generals and eventually he won the battle.[12]

Later conflicts

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There were a total of five invasions between 1742 and 1751.[13] The continuous conflict took a heavy toll on the population of Bengal.[6] During that period of invasion by the Marathas, warriors called as "Bargis", perpetrated atrocities against the local population of Bengalis and Biharis. As reported in Burdwan Estate and European sources, the Bargis are said to have plundered villages.[13] Jan Kersseboom, chief of the Dutch East India Company factory in Bengal, estimated that perhaps 4,00,000 civilians in Western Bengal and Bihar died in the overall conflict.[5][6] Contemporary accounts of the invasions report mass gang rape against women,[14][15][16][17] and mutilation of victims by the Marathas which included cutting off their hands and noses.[18] Many of the Bengalis in western Bengal also fled to take shelter in Eastern Bengal, fearing for their lives in the wake of the Maratha attacks.[19] Zamindars outside the affected districts and also from the districts that involved this conflict were affected by the Maratha raids.[20]

They shouted over and over again, 'Give us money', and when they got no money they filled peoples' nostrils with water, and some they seized and drowned in tanks, and many died of suffocation. In this way they did all manner of foul and evil deeds. When they demanded money and it was not given to them, they would put the man to death. Those who had money gave it, those who had none were killed.

The Bargi atrocities were corroborated by contemporary Dutch and British accounts.[21][5] The atrocities devastated Bengal's economy, as many of the people killed in the Bargi raids included merchants, textile weavers,[5] silk winders, and mulberry cultivators.[6] The Cossimbazar factory reported in 1742, for example, that the Bargis burnt down many of the houses where silk piece goods were made, along with weavers' looms.[5] In 1743 two Maratha armies invaded - one belonged to Raghuji Bhosle, the other to Balaji Rao again. Alivardi Khan was obliged to pay a subsidy and promise to pay him chauth (tax) in the future.[22]

Baneswar Vidyalankar's text Chitrachampu attributed the victories of the Marathas to "the wonderfully fast horses they ride." Bharatchandra's Annadamangal attributed the attacks to a particular communal factor which was the destruction of temples at Bhubaneswar by Alivardi's soldiers.[23]

The further attacks took place in 1748 in Bihar, on Murshidabad in 1750, and in 1751 in Western Bengal.[24]

The internal fights within the Alivardi Khan's military also contributed to their losses. For example, in 1748 Pathan soldiers rebelled and seized Patna which they controlled for some time. Another example is the faujdar of Purnea who departed from Alivardi and created a small autonomous state.[25] Apart from territorial losses, the Nawab of Bengal also suffered severe economic losses. Industries such as agriculture and trade were dislocated and a large number of people migrated from Western Bengal to the Northern and Eastern districts.[26]

End of hostilities and aftermath

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In 1751, the Marathas signed a peace treaty with the Nawab of Bengal and agreed to never cross the Subarnarekha River.[7] The territories beyond the Subarnarekha River were now ceded to the Marathas, according to which, Mir Habib (a former courtier of Alivardi Khan, who had defected to the Marathas) was made provincial governor of Orissa under nominal control of the Nawab of Bengal.[27][28] Thus de facto Maratha control over Orissa was established by 1751, while de jure it remained a part of Bengal Subah till 1752.[27] After the assassination of Mir Habib, the governor of Orissa in 1752, the Marathas formally incorporated Orissa in their dominion,[28] as part of Nagpur kingdom.

The Nawab of Bengal agreed to pay Rs. 1.2 million annually as the chauth of Bengal and Bihar, and the Marathas agreed not to invade Bengal again.[3][29] The Nawab of Bengal also paid Rs. 3.2 million to the Marathas, towards the arrears of chauth for the preceding years.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Sen, Sailendra Nath (2010). An Advanced History of Modern India. Macmillan India. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-230-32885-3. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2021. In 1751,...promising cession of the province of Orissa...Orissa came under the Bhonsle's control.
  2. ^ McLane, John R. (1993). Land and local kinship in eighteenth-century Bengal. Cambridge University Press. pp. 155–156. ISBN 0521410746.
  3. ^ a b Government of Maharashtra (1974). Maharashtra State Gazetteers: Wardha District (2nd ed.). Bombay: Director of Government Printing, Stationery and Publications, Maharashtra State. p. 63. OCLC 77864804.
  4. ^ a b Jaswant Lal Mehta (2005). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. ISBN 9781932705546. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e Kirti N. Chaudhuri (2006). The Trading World of Asia and the English East India Company: 1660-1760. Cambridge University Press. p. 253. ISBN 9780521031592.
  6. ^ a b c d P. J. Marshall (2006). Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828. Cambridge University Press. p. 73. ISBN 9780521028226.
  7. ^ a b Nitish K. Sengupta (2011). Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib. Penguin Books India. pp. 158–163. ISBN 9780143416784. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2020. Alivardi showed exemplary courage and military skill in every frontal battle that took place between his forces and the Marathas, in each of which, almost without exception, he had the upper hand.
  8. ^ Gupta, Brijen Kishore (1966). Sirajuddaullah and the East India Company, 1756-1757: Background to the Foundation of British Power in India. Brill Archive. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  9. ^ P. J. Marshall (2006). Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828. Cambridge University Press. p. 72. ISBN 9780521028226.
  10. ^ a b Tony, Jacques (30 November 2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 516. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5.
  11. ^ Tony, Jacques (30 November 2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5.
  12. ^ Chandra, Anil (1978). A Comprehensive History of India: 1712-1772. p. 187.
  13. ^ a b C. C. Davies (1957). "Chapter XXIII: Rivalries in India". In J. O. Lindsay (ed.). The New Cambridge Modern History. Vol. VII: The Old Regime 1713–63. Cambridge University Press. p. 555. ISBN 978-0-521-04545-2. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  14. ^ Gupta, Brijen Kishore (1962). Sirajuddaullah and the East India Company, 1756-1757: Background to the Foundation of British Power in India. Brill Archive. p. 23. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2021. horrors perpetrated by the Marathas on women and children which included gang rape.
  15. ^ Edwardes, Allen (1966). The Rape of India: A Biography of Robert Clive and a Sexual History of the Conquest of Hindustan. Julian Press. p. 131. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2021. 'Tis reported that no fewer than 10 or a Dozen of 'em will rape a beautiful Woman, that they cut off the Cullions [testicles] of Men & embugger Children of both sexes thereafter selling them into slavery
  16. ^ Seminar. R. Thapar. 1989. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2021. Repeated Maratha invasion of Bengal from the 1740s causing mass migration of people, ... in the beginning the Marathas raped and violated women, but later, the villagers took to guerrilla tactics to resist them
  17. ^ The New Cambridge Modern History. CUP Archive. 1970. p. 555. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2021. they indulged in the unspeakable practice of gang-rape
  18. ^ McDermott, Rachel Fell (28 June 2001). Mother of My Heart, Daughter of My Dreams: Kali and Uma in the Devotional Poetry of Bengal. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-803071-3. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2021. The Marathas plundered, stole, set fire to villages and crops, tortured the inhabitants, cutting off their victim's hands and noses, raping them, and drowning them.
  19. ^ Aklam Hussain (1997). History of Bangladesh, 1704-1971. Vol. 2. University of Michigan, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. p. 80. ISBN 9789845123372. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  20. ^ McLane, John R. (25 July 2002). Land and Local Kingship in Eighteenth-Century Bengal. Cambridge University Press. pp. 166–167. ISBN 978-0-521-52654-8.
  21. ^ P. J. Marshall (2006). Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828. Cambridge University Press. pp. 72–73. ISBN 9780521028226.
  22. ^ Marshall, P. J. (1987). Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828. The New Cambridge History of India. Vol. II.2. Cambridge University Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-521-02822-6.
  23. ^ McLane 2002, pp. 166–167.
  24. ^ Habib, I.; Panikkar, K.N.; Byres, T.J.; Patnaik, U. (2002). The Making of History: Essays Presented to Irfan Habib. Anthem South Asian studies. Anthem Press. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-84331-038-9. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  25. ^ Markovits, C. (2004). A History of Modern India, 1480-1950. Anthem South Asian Studies. Anthem Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-1-84331-152-2. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  26. ^ Mahajan, VD (2020). Modern Indian History. S. Chand Limited. p. 42. ISBN 978-93-5283-619-2. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022. However, the Marathas were the greatest menace to Ali Vardi Khan. There were as many as five Maratha invasions in 1742, 1743, 1744, 1745 and 1748.
  27. ^ a b Sengupta, N. (2011). Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib. Penguin Books Limited. p. 156. ISBN 978-81-8475-530-5. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  28. ^ a b ড. মুহম্মদ আব্দুর রহিম. "মারাঠা আক্রমণ". বাংলাদেশের ইতিহাস. ২৯৩–২৯৯.
  29. ^ Chatterjee, Gouripada (1987). History of Bagree-Rajya (Garhbeta): With Special Reference to Its Anti-British Role, from Late 18th Century Till the Present Times. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-014-7. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.

Bibliography

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