View source for Maratha invasions of Bengal

{{Short description|Maratha invasions in Bengal (1742–1751)}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| image             = Echoes from Old Calcutta 028.tif
| caption           = A [[Maratha Ditch]], constricted around forts and factories as protection against Maratha raids
| conflict          = Maratha invasions of Bengal
| partof            = the [[decline of the Mughal Empire]]
| date              = April 1742 – March 1751
| place             = [[Bengal Subah]] ([[Bengal]], [[Bihar]], parts of modern [[Odisha|Orissa]])
| territory         = Territories south of [[Subarnarekha river]]  ceded into the [[Nagpur State]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Sen|first=Sailendra Nath|title=An Advanced History of Modern India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bXWiACEwPR8C&amp;pg=PA15-IA82|year=2010|page=15|quote="In 1751,...promising cession of the province of Orissa...Orissa came under the Bhonsle's control."|publisher=Macmillan India|isbn=978-0-230-32885-3|access-date=10 June 2021|archive-date=27 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227193705/https://books.google.com/books?id=bXWiACEwPR8C&amp;pg=PA15-IA82|url-status=live}}</ref>
| combatant1        = {{Tree list}}
*[[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] [[Maratha Empire]]
**[[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]
{{Tree list/end}}'''Supported by''':<br>[[Pashtuns|Afghan]] rebels
| combatant2        = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Bengal Subah]]<br>'''Supported by''':<br>[[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] [[Peshwa]]
| commander1        = '''[[Raghuji I]]'''{{Collapsible list
| framestyle=border:none; padding:0;
|title='''Commanders''':
| 1 = [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Janoji of Nagpur|Janoji Bhonsle]]
| 2 = [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] Sabaji Bhonsle
| 3 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Mir Habib]] <small>(from 1742)</small>
| 4 = [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] Bhaskar Ram Kolhatkar{{Assassinated}}
| 5 = [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] Alibhai Qarawwal{{Assassinated}}
| 6 = [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] Shahamat Khan{{Assassinated}}
| 7 = [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] Buland Khan Ruhela
|8 = [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] Sarandaz Khan{{KIA}}
|9 = [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] Sayyid Nur{{POW}}
|10 = [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] Dharmadas Hazari{{POW}}
|11 = [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] Mohan Singh
|12 = [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] Raghuji Gaikwad
|13 = [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] Shesh Rao
}}<hr />{{Collapsible list
| framestyle=border:none; padding:0;
|title='''Afghan rebels''':
|1 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Mustafa Khan{{WIA}} <small>(from 1748)</small>
|2 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Abdul Rasul Khan <small>(from 1745)</small>{{KIA}}
}}
| commander2        = '''[[Alivardi Khan]]'''{{Collapsible list
| framestyle=border:none; padding:0;
| title='''Commanders''':
| 1 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Abdul Ali Khan
| 2 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Abdus Subhan Khan{{POW}}
| 3 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Ali Quli Khan
| 4 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Ataullah Khan
| 5 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Bar Khordar Beg
| 6 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Chitrasen Rai<ref>{{cite book |last=McLane |first=John R. |year=1993 |title=Land and local kinship in eighteenth-century Bengal |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=155–156 |isbn=0521410746}}</ref>
| 7 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Dost Muhammad Khan
| 8 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Durlabh Ram
| 9 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Fakhrullah Beg Khan
|10 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Haidar Ali Khan
|11 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Mahdi Nisar Khan
|12 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Mir Abdul Aziz
|13 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Mir Habib]]{{Turncoat}}
|14 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Mir Jafar]]
|15 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Mir Qasim|Mir Kazim Khan]]
|16 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Mir Khairullah Khan
|17 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Mirza Beg Khan
|18 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Mirza Dawar Quli
|19 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Mirza Hakim Beg
|20 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Muhammad Raza{{POW}}
|21 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Musahib Khan{{KIA}}
|22 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Mustafa Khan{{Turncoat}} <small>(Until 1745)</small>
|23 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Raham Khan
|24 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Saif Khan
|25 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Sardar Khan{{Turncoat}}<small> (Until 1748)</small>
|26 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Saulat Jang
|27 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Shaikh Masum Khan{{KIA}}
|28 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Shamshir Khan{{Turncoat}} <small>(Until 1748)</small>
|29 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Siraj-ud-Daulah]]{{AWOL}}
|30 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Umar Khan
|31 = {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan]]
}}<hr>[[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] [[Balaji Baji Rao]]<br>[[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] Pilaji Jadav<br>[[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] Malhar Holkar
| strength1         = '''[[First Maratha invasion of Bengal|First invasion]]''': 10,000 or 12,000 or 20,000 cavalry<hr>'''[[Second Maratha invasion of Bengal|Second invasion]]''': 50,000 cavalry or 75,000<hr>'''[[Third Maratha invasion of Bengal|Third invasion]]''': 20,000 cavalry<hr>'''[[Fourth Maratha invasion of Bengal|Fourth invasion]]''':<br>[[Siege of Barabati (1745)|Barabati]]: 14,000 or 20,000 cavalry<br>25,000 infantry<br>300 guns<br>[[Battle of Naubatpur (1745)|Naubatpur]]: 12,000<br>[[Battle of Bhagalpur (1745)|Bhagalpur]]: 5,000–6,000<br>[[Cuttack]]: 8,000 cavalry<br>20,000 infantry<hr>'''[[Fifth Maratha invasion of Bengal|Fifth invasion]]''':<br>[[Bihar]]: 5,000 cavalry<br>7,000 infantry<br>[[Siege of Cuttack (1749)|Cuttack]]: 7,000–8,000<br>[[Balasore]]: 40,000{{Efn|Allied with [[Afghan insurrections in Bengal Subah|Afghan rebels]]}}<br>[[Midnapore]]: 12,000 cavalry
| strength2         = '''[[First Maratha invasion of Bengal|First invasion]]''': 23,000–26,000<hr>'''[[Second Maratha invasion of Bengal|Second invasion]]''': 70,000 cavalry<br>100,000 musketeers<hr>'''[[Third Maratha invasion of Bengal|Third invasion]]''': Unknown<hr>'''[[Fourth Maratha invasion of Bengal|Fourth invasion]]''':<br>[[Siege of Barabati (1745)|Barabati]]: 400<br>[[Battle of Naubatpur (1745)|Naubatpur]]: 14,000 or 20,000<br>[[Battle of Bhagalpur (1745)|Bhagalpur]]: 600<br>[[Cuttack]]: 7,000–8,000 cavalry<br>12,000 infantry<hr>'''[[Fifth Maratha invasion of Bengal|Fifth invasion]]''':<br>[[Bardhaman|Burdwan]]: 8,000<br>[[Midnapore]]: 5,000–6,000 cavalry
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Maratha invasions of Bengal}}
| result            = See [[#End of hostilities and aftermath|Aftermath]]
| casualties3       = [[Dutch East India Company]] factory in Bengal and Bihar, estimated that 400,000 civilians in Western Bengal and Bihar died in the overall conflict.<ref name="Chaudhuri253"/><ref name="Marshall73"/> ({{Approx.}} 1.4% of Bengal's population killed.)<ref name="Bhattacharya360"/>
}}

The '''Maratha invasions of Bengal''' (1742–1751), were the a series of raids by the [[Maratha Army|Maratha forces]] in the [[Bengal Subah]] ([[Bengal]], [[Bihar]], parts of modern [[Odisha|Orissa]]), after the successful campaign in the [[Carnatic region]] at the [[Siege of Trichinopoly (1741)|Battle of Trichinopoly]]. The campaigns were carried out under [[Raghuji I]] of [[Nagpur kingdom|Nagpur]].<ref name="Maharashtra1974">{{cite book |last=Government of Maharashtra |year=1974 |title=Maharashtra State Gazetteers: Wardha District |edition=2nd |location=Bombay |publisher=Director of Government Printing, Stationery and Publications, Maharashtra State |page=63 |oclc=77864804}}</ref> Between April 1742 to March 1751, the Marathas invaded Bengal five times in [[First Maratha invasion of Bengal|1742]], [[Second Maratha invasion of Bengal|1743]], [[Third Maratha invasion of Bengal|1744]], [[Fourth Maratha invasion of Bengal|1745]] and [[Fifth Maratha invasion of Bengal|1748]] respectively,<ref name="Mehta2005" /> causing widespread economic losses in the Bengal Subah.

The resurgent [[Maratha Empire]] emerging from [[Maharashtra]] quickly repulsed the [[Mughal Empire|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.<ref name="Chaudhuri253" /><ref name="Marshall73" /> However, due to their relentless attacks and raids the Nawab would be more partial towards signing the treaty eventually agreeing to cede [[Odisha|Orissa]] to the [[Maratha Empire]] to ensure peace for both states.<ref name="Sen2011" />

== Background ==
The Maratha invasions of Bengal were driven by Maratha imperialism, aiming to dismantle the declining [[Mughal Empire]]. Initiated by Peshwa [[Bajirao I|Baji Rao I]], the Marathas sought to expand their dominance, with [[Raghuji I|Raghuji Bhonsle]] targeting Bengal for its wealth and lack of Maratha tribute. Political instability in Bengal, coupled with invitations from ousted [[Sarfaraz Khan|Nawab Sarfaraz]]’s ({{Reign|1739|1740}}) allies, prompted Raghuji’s invasions.{{Sfn|Datta|1939|p=57}}

According to Muslim writers the invasions were encouraged by [[Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I|Nizam-ul-mulk]] to divert Maratha attention from [[Deccan]]. Contemporary Bengali works like Bhratacandra's ''[[Annada Mangal|Annadāmangala]]'' portray the invasions as Hindu resistance against Muslim oppression.<ref name=":4">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=58}}</ref> He presented the ''Bargis'' as agents of [[Shiva]].<ref name=":6">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Bhattacharya|2020|p=362}} "Maratha atrocities against Hindus in Bengal prevented people from viewing the invaders as Hindu liberators although Bharatchandra did present the bargis as agents of Shiva."</ref> Bhratachandra's narrative could be biased as he was court poet of [[Krishnachandra Roy|Krishnanagar Zamidari]] and imprisoned by Nawab of Bengal after failing to pay tribute.{{Efn|Kalikinkar Datta asserts that Bharatachandra may be biased since he was court-poet of the Zamindar Krishnachandra who often had hostilities with Nawab. While Gangarama does not, however, stand on the same footing. His account is obviously one from the standpoint of the masses of the people. ({{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=58}})}} Another contemporary Hindu poet Gangarama’s ''[[Maharashta Purana|Mahārāştrapurāņa]]'' suggests initial public hope in Maratha intervention, followed by disappointment and eventual support for Bengal's Muslim government.<ref name=":4" /> The atrocities in against Hindus prevented viewing the Marathas as Hindu liberator.<ref name=":6" />

Lastly, seeking revenge against Alivardi Khan, the relatives and partisans of the former Nawab Sarfaraz Khan, invited Raghuji, to invade Alivardi's dominion. The ''[[Riyaz-us-Salatin]]'' asserts that Mir Habib went to invite the Marathas following the defeat of [[Lutfullah Tabrizi|Murshid Quli II]] in the [[Battle of Phulwari]]. The ''Siyar al-Mutaqherin'' by [[Ghulam Hussain Khan]], however, claims that Mir Habib was captured by the Marathas while engaged in [[Battle of Katwa (1742)|fighting at Katwa]].<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Haque|1980|p=211}}</ref>

== Invasions of Bengal ==
=== First invasion (1742) ===
{{Main|First Maratha invasion of Bengal}}
In 1742, Bengal experienced its initial encounter with the Maratha invasion. In April, Maratha forces under Bhaskar Ram sent by Raghuji Bhonsle to collect [[chauth]] tribute, invaded [[Bengal]] via [[Odisha]]. They advanced unopposed through Odisha and Panchet, near modern [[Raniganj]], reaching near Burdwan. Nawab Alivardi Khan rushed to Burdwan on 15 April but faced constant Maratha skirmishes and plundering, causing severe food shortages. He broke through to [[Katwa]] amid heavy losses and hardships. At Katwa, the Marathas had already plundered and burned granaries. A Maratha detachment under Mir Habib who had defected now with the Marathas, raided Nawab's capital [[Murshidabad]] in early May. Alivardi hurried back, arriving on 7 May; the Marathas retreated to Katwa, looting villages en route.<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1943|pp=455—456}}</ref><ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1978|p=182}}</ref> As rains approached, the Marathas considered withdrawing, but Mir Habib convinced them to stay. They captured Hooghly, installed Shesh Rao as governor, and used Katwa as headquarters, aiming to expand beyond the [[Hooghly River]] toward [[Dhaka]]. During the 1742 rainy season, fighting paused, but Marathas ravaged [[Bardhaman|Burdwan]], Murshidabad, [[Nadia]], [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]], [[Midnapore]], [[Santhal Pargana division|Santal Parganas]], and Odisha up to [[Balasore]], committing atrocities. Gangaram wrote in his poems that the people fled with belongings, only to be [[Robbery|robbed]], [[Mutilation|mutilated]], or killed; women were abducted and [[Rape|raped]], villages burned.<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1943|pp=456–458}}</ref><ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1978|p=183}}</ref> Many Bengalis migrated eastward for safety. Alivardi used the lull to regroup at camps near Murshidabad, reinforced by nephew the [[Nazim|Naib Nazim]] of [[Bihar]] [[Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan|Zain-ud-Din Ahmed Khan]] and Saif Khan from [[Purnia]]. In late September 1742, he launched a surprise attack on Bhaskar Ram's camp at Katwa routing the Marathas. They fled across the [[Bhagirathi River|Bhagirathi]] and [[Ajay River|Ajay]] rivers; Alivardi pursued through Panchet, [[Bankura]], Midnapore, and Odisha, driving them beyond [[Chilika Lake]] by December. En route, Marathas plundered towns and killed Odisha's deputy governor Shaikh Masum at Jaipur. Alivardi appointed Abdul Nabi Khan as replacement and returned to Murshidabad on 10 February 1743 after two months in Odisha.<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1943|p=458}}</ref><ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1978|p=184}}</ref>

[[Alivardi Khan]] successfully repelled the invasion, although not without the unfortunate consequence of [[Murshidabad]] and [[Hooghly district|Hooghly]] suffering from plundering.<ref name="Marshall72">{{cite book|title=Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828|author=P. J. Marshall|author-link=P. J. Marshall|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2006|page=72|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lIZrfokYSY8C&amp;pg=PA72|isbn=9780521028226}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gupta |first=Brijen Kishore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o-MUAAAAIAAJ |title=Sirajuddaullah and the East India Company, 1756-1757: Background to the Foundation of British Power in India |date=1966 |publisher=Brill Archive |language=en |access-date=1 February 2024 |archive-date=1 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201053841/https://books.google.com/books?id=o-MUAAAAIAAJ&amp;newbks=0&amp;hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Second invasion (1743) ===
{{Main|Second Maratha invasion of Bengal}}

[[Raghuji I]] lead the Marathas and attacked and captured [[Katwa]] and [[Chinsurah|Hooghly]] in [[Bengal]]. [[Alivardi Khan]] conscripted tribal and peasant levies from [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]]. He responded to the Maratha attack by attacking the Maratha camp at Katwa in the First Battle of Katwa from the rear, at nightfall leading to a Subah victory. The Marathas believing a much larger force had been mobilized, evacuated out of Bengal on 17 September 1742. [[Bhaskar Ram Kolhatkar|Bhaskar Pant]] the Maratha commander, was killed in action.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Tony |first=Jacques |title=Dictionary of Battles and Sieges |date=30 November 2006 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0-313-33536-5 |pages=516}}</ref> In 1743, Raghuji occupied Burdwan with his camp at Katwa.<ref name=":1">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1964|pp=61–75}}</ref>

=== Third invasion (1744) ===
{{Main|Third Maratha invasion of Bengal}}

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 kingdom|Nagpur]] where he and his force were defeated by [[Alivardi Khan]] at the Second Battle of Katwa.<ref name=":0" />  

=== Fourth invasion (1745–1747) ===
{{Main|Fourth Maratha invasion of Bengal}}

The Battle of Burdwan oversaw [[Alivardi Khan]] heavily repulsing and defeating the [[Janoji Bhonsle]] led Marathas. By way of the jungles of north Birbhum and the Khargpur hills (south of Mungir), Raghuji arrived near Fatua which he pillaged heavily, and then turned south-west, plundering Shaikhpura and many villages in the Tikari zamindari, till he struck the Son river.<ref name=":1" /> An army was amassed to defend against the invading Maratha forces at Orissa after the dismissal of [[Mir Jafar]] by [[Alivardi Khan]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tony |first=Jacques |title=Dictionary of Battles and Sieges |date=30 November 2006 |isbn=978-0-313-33536-5 |pages=232|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic }}</ref>

=== Fifth invasion (1748–1751) ===
{{Main|Fifth Maratha invasion of Bengal}}

[[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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chandra |first=Anil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ggduAAAAMAAJ |title=A Comprehensive History of India: 1712-1772 |publication-date=1978 |pages=187}}</ref>

== Campaign timeline ==
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! rowspan="2" |Battle
! rowspan="2" |Time
! rowspan="2" |Location
! colspan="2" |Belligerents
! rowspan="2" |Result
|-
!Bengal Subah
!Maratha Empire 
|-
| '''Siege of Barabati Fort'''
| 19 April 1742
| [[Barabati fort]], [[Cuttack]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Shaikh Masum Khan
|[[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Bhaskar Ram Kolhatkar]]}}
| '''Maratha''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Haque|1980|p=212}} "Bhaskar marched through Orissa unopposed and arrived in Cuttack. The fort of Barabati was captured on 19.4.1742."</ref>
|- 
| '''Siege of Hoogly'''
| May 1742
| [[Hooghly district|Hooghly]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Muhammad Raza Khan
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Mir Habib]]|Shesh Rao}}
| '''Maratha''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Malik|1977|p=146}} "Mir Habib, by inveigling Muhammad Raza, the faujdar of Hugli, to an interview, seized him and secured possession of the fort through the help of 'Abul Hasan, a rich and influential merchant of the place."</ref>
|-
| '''[[Battle of Katwa (1742)]]'''
| 27 September 1742
| [[Katwa]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Alivardi Khan]]
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Bhaskar Ram Kolhatkar]]}}
| '''Bengal Subah''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Rahim|1971|p=293}} "ভাস্কর পণ্ডিত মহা ধূমবামের সহিত দুর্গা পূজা করিতেছিলেন। আলীবর্দীর আক্রমণে ভীত হইয়া তিনি কাটোয়া হইতে পলায়ন করেন (২৭শে সেপ্টেম্বর, ১৭৪২)।" {{Translation|Bhaskar Pandit was worshipping Durga with great splendour. Fearing the attack of Alivardi, he fled from Katwa (September 27, 1742).}}</ref>
|-
| '''Battle of Jaipur''' 
| October 
| [[Jeypore]], Odisha
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Shaikh Masum Khan{{KIA}}
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|Unknown}}
| '''Maratha''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=78}} "Bhaskar sent a detachment also to Orissa, where Alivardi's Deputy Governor, Shaikh Masum, bravely attempted to oppose it but was defeated and killed at Jaipur"</ref>
|- 
| '''Battle of Midnapore''' 
| Pre-December 1742
| [[Balasore district|Balasore]], [[Odisha]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Alivardi Khan
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|Bhaskar Ram Kolhatkar}}
| '''Bengal Subah''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=79}} "Bhaskar, thereupon, fled towards Balasore but soon turned back and had a fight with the Nawab, at a distance of about four miles from Midnapur, which resulted in his defeat with a loss of several soldiers"</ref>
|- 
| '''Siege of Ghauspur Fort'''
| February 1743
| Fort of Ghauspur, [[Gaya, India|Gaya]], [[Bihar]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Ahmad Khan Qureshi 
| [[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] [[Peshwa]] of the [[Maratha Empire]]{{Bulleted list|[[Balaji Baji Rao]]}}
| '''Maratha''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=83}}</ref>
|-
| '''Battle of Birbhum'''
| April 1743
| [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Alivardi Khan]]<br />[[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] [[Balaji Baji Rao]]
|[[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Raghuji I]]}}
| '''Bengal Subah–Peshwa''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=86}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Siege of Barabati (1745)]]'''
| May 1745
| [[Barabati fort]], [[Cuttack]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Durlabh Ram{{POW}}<br />{{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Mir Abdul Aziz{{Surrendered}}
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Raghuji I]]}}
| '''Maratha''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Ray|1960|p=14}}{{Break}}{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=94}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Battle of Naubatpur (1745)]]'''
| November 1745
| Muhib Alipur, near [[Naubatpur]], [[Bihar]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Alivardi Khan]]
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Raghuji I]]}}
'''Afghan rebels'''
| '''Bengal Subah''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Rahim|1971|p=296}} "মারাঠাদেরকে অনুসরণ করিয়া আলীবর্দী বিহারে আসেন এবং মুহিব-আলীপুর নামক স্থানে ইহাদেরকে পরাজিত করেন (১৪ই নবেম্বর, ১৭৪৫)।"{{Break}}{{Translation|Alivardi followed the Marathas to Bihar and defeated them at a place called Muhib-Alipur (November 14, 1745).}}</ref><ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=97}}</ref>
|- 
| '''[[Battle of Bhagalpur (1745)]]'''
| December 1745
| [[Bhagalpur]], [[Bihar]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Alivardi Khan]]
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Raghuji I]]}}
| '''Bengal Subah''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=98}}</ref>
|- 
| '''Battle of Ranidighi'''
| 22 December 1745
| Ranidighi, near [[Katwa]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Alivardi Khan]]
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Raghuji I]]}}
| '''Bengal Subah''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|pp=98–99}} "He soon marched against Raghuji, who had fled towards Katwah on hearing of his advance, and overtook him at Ranidighi (tank) near Katwah. A sharp engagement ensued, which resulted in the defeat of Raghuji with heavy losses in men and baggage, and compelled him to retreat to Nagpur"</ref>
|- 
| '''Battle of Midnapore'''
| 12 December 1746
| Near [[Midnapore]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Mir Jafar]]
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] Sayyid Nur
| '''Bengal Subah''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Malik|1977|p=152}} "Mir Ja'afar defeated Saiyid Nur, the lieutenant of Mir Habib, near Midnapur on 12 December 1746."</ref>
|-
| '''Battle of Burdwan'''
| February 1747
| [[Bardhaman|Burdwan]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Mir Jafar]]<br />{{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Ataullah Khan Sabet Jang<br />{{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Fakhruddin Beg Khan
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Janoji]]|[[Mir Habib]]}}
| '''Indecisive'''<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=101}} "Alivardi strongly censured this disgraceful retreat of Mir Jafar Khan, and sent a strong force under Ataullah Khan Sabet Jang and Fakhrullah Beg Khan to reinforce his party at Burdwan. They had an indecisive engagement with the Marathas under Janoji joined with those under Mir Habib."{{Break}}{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1964|p=84}}</ref>
|-
| '''Battle of Burdwan'''
| March 1747
| [[Bardhaman|Burdwan]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Alivardi Khan]]
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Janoji of Nagpur|Janoji]]}}
| '''Bengal Subah''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=102}} "He personally led his army to Burdwan and defeated the Marathas in a furiously contested battle."{{Break}}{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1964|p=90}} "But nothing daunted, this old man of seventy-one personally took command of his army, marched out of his camp, and after fighting a severely contested battle near Burdwan (March 1747) defeated Janoji and the entire Maratha army with heavy loss."</ref>
|- 
| '''Battle of Champanagar''' 
| May 1748
| [[Champapuri|Champanagar]], [[Bihar]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Alivardi Khan]]
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Mir Habib]]}}
| '''Bengal Subah''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=104}}</ref>
|-
| [[Battle of Rani Sarai|'''Battle of Rani Sarai''']]
| 16 April 1748
| Rani Sarai, near [[Barh]], Bihar
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Alivardi Khan]]
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Mir Habib]]|[[Janoji of Nagpur]]}}
'''Afghan rebels'''
| '''Bengal Subah''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=105}} "Alivardi inflicted a crushing defeat on the allied Afghan and Maratha troops at Ranisarai, eight miles west of Barh, on the 18th of April, 1748."{{Break}}{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1964|p=95}} "After the crushing defeat of his Afghan allies at Ranisarai (16th April), Janoji with Mir Habib and all their troops slipped past the Nawab and turned towards Murshidabad."</ref>
|-
| '''Battle of Midnapore''' 
| March 1749
| Near [[Midnapore]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Dost Muhammad Khan<br />{{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Mir Kazim Khan
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Mir Habib]]}}
| '''Bengal Subah''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=107}} "The Marathas had stopped in the jungles of Midnapur, where they were pursued and defeated by Dost Muhammad Khan, Mir Kazim Khan, and some other generals of the Nawab."</ref>
|-
| '''[[Siege of Cuttack (1749)]]'''
| May – June 1749
| [[Cuttack]], Odisha
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Alivardi Khan]]
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|Sayyid Nur{{POW}}|Sarandaz Khan{{KIA}}|Dharmadas Hazari{{POW}}}}
| '''Bengal Subah''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=108}}</ref>
|- 
| '''Maratha recapture of Cuttack'''
| June 1749
| [[Cuttack]], Odisha
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} Shaikh Abdus Subhan{{POW}}
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Mir Habib]]}}
| '''Maratha''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1964|p=97}}</ref>
|-
| '''Battle of Midnapore'''
| December 1750
| [[Midnapore]]
| {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Alivardi Khan]]
| [[File:Nagpur State flag.png|20px]] [[Kingdom of Nagpur]]{{Bulleted list|[[Mir Habib]]}}
| '''Bengal Subah''' victory<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=113}}{{Break}}{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1964|pp=100–101}}</ref>
|}

== Atrocities during Maratha invasions ==
There were a total of five invasions between 1742 and 1751.<ref name="Davies">{{cite book |author=C. C. Davies |year=1957 |chapter=Chapter XXIII: Rivalries in India |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ejh1RnNDt4C&amp;pg=PG555 |editor=J. O. Lindsay |editor-link=J. O. Lindsay |title=The New Cambridge Modern History |title-link=The New Cambridge Modern History |volume=VII: The Old Regime 1713–63 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=555 |isbn=978-0-521-04545-2 |access-date=10 February 2019 |archive-date=23 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423154207/https://books.google.com/books?id=7ejh1RnNDt4C&amp;pg=PG555 |url-status=live }}</ref> The continuous conflict took a heavy toll on the population of Bengal.<ref name="Marshall73">{{cite book |author=Marshall |first=P. J. |author-link=P. J. Marshall |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lIZrfokYSY8C&amp;pg=PA73 |title=Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2006 |isbn=9780521028226 |page=73}}</ref> During that period of invasion by the Marathas, light cavalry called as "[[Bargi]]s", perpetrated atrocities against the local population of [[Bengalis]] and [[Biharis]]. As reported in [[Bardhaman Raj|Burdwan Estate]] and European sources, the Bargis are said to have plundered villages.<ref name="Davies"/> Jan Kersseboom, chief of the [[Dutch East India Company]] factory in Bengal, estimated that perhaps 400,000 civilians in Western Bengal and Bihar died in the overall conflict.<ref name="Chaudhuri253"/><ref name="Marshall73"/> According to Sabyasachi Bhattacharya in the Bengal region 14 out of every 1,000 people was killed resulting 350,000 deaths.<ref name="Bhattacharya360">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Bhattacharya|2020|pp=359–360}} "The head merchant at the Dutch factory in Bengal guessed that 'close to 400,000 people were killed in Bengal and Bihar' during the Maratha invasions. If 350,000 of those deaths were in Bengal and if Bengal's population had been 24 million or so at the start, that would suggest 14 out of every 1,000 people died." 
</ref> Contemporary accounts of the invasions report mass [[gang rape]] and [[Wartime sexual violence]] against women and [[Child sexual abuse|children]],<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNAUAAAAIAAJ&amp;dq=rape&amp;pg=PA23|title=Sirajuddaullah and the East India Company, 1756-1757: Background to the Foundation of British Power in India|last=Gupta|first=Brijen Kishore|date=1962|publisher=Brill Archive|isbn=|location=|pages=23|language=en|quote=horrors perpetrated by the Marathas on women and children which included gang rape.|access-date=18 November 2021|archive-date=26 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234608/https://books.google.com/books?id=fNAUAAAAIAAJ&amp;dq=rape&amp;pg=PA23|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j_M9AAAAMAAJ&amp;q=maratha+invasion+bengal+rape|title=The Rape of India: A Biography of Robert Clive and a Sexual History of the Conquest of Hindustan|last=Edwardes|first=Allen|date=1966|publisher=Julian Press|isbn=|location=|pages=131|language=en|quote="'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 &amp; embugger Children of both sexes thereafter selling them into slavery"|access-date=25 April 2021|archive-date=26 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234605/https://books.google.com/books?id=j_M9AAAAMAAJ&amp;q=maratha+invasion+bengal+rape|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ynpDAAAAYAAJ&amp;q=maratha+invasion+bengal+gang+rape|title=Seminar|last=|first=|date=1989|publisher=R. Thapar|isbn=|location=|pages=|language=en|quote=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|access-date=25 April 2021|archive-date=26 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234605/https://books.google.com/books?id=ynpDAAAAYAAJ&amp;q=maratha+invasion+bengal+gang+rape|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1BY9AAAAIAAJ&amp;dq=gang+rape&amp;pg=PA555|title=The New Cambridge Modern History|last=|first=|date=1970|publisher=CUP Archive|isbn=|location=|pages=555|language=en|quote="they indulged in the unspeakable practice of gang-rape"|access-date=18 November 2021|archive-date=26 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234603/https://books.google.com/books?id=1BY9AAAAIAAJ&amp;dq=gang+rape&amp;pg=PA555|url-status=live}}</ref> and mutilation of victims by the Marathas which included cutting off their hands and noses and [[Castration#Torture and war crimes|forced castrations]] The Marathas enslaved children in Bengal.<ref name=":3"/><ref name=":8">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2PrChFaXgf0C&amp;dq=rape&amp;pg=PA21|title=Mother of My Heart, Daughter of My Dreams: Kali and Uma in the Devotional Poetry of Bengal|last=McDermott|first=Rachel Fell|date=2001-06-28|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-803071-3|location=|pages=|language=en|quote=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.|access-date=18 November 2021|archive-date=26 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234602/https://books.google.com/books?id=2PrChFaXgf0C&amp;dq=rape&amp;pg=PA21|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="hussain">{{cite book|title=History of Bangladesh, 1704-1971|volume=2|author=Aklam Hussain|publisher=[[University of Michigan]], [[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]|year=1997|page=80|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=53ZuAAAAMAAJ|isbn=9789845123372|access-date=15 September 2020|archive-date=23 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423154136/https://books.google.com/books?id=53ZuAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Zamindar]]s outside the affected districts and also from the districts that involved this conflict were affected by the Maratha raids.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McLane |first1=John R. |title=Land and Local Kingship in Eighteenth-Century Bengal |date=25 July 2002 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-52654-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YH6ijJnUPmcC |language=en |pages=166–167}}</ref>

Historians generally view [[Maharashta Purana]] particularly as a "contemporary mirror" of the Maratha plunders.<ref>{{Citation |last=Chatterjee |first=Kumkum |title=Performance Narratives and the Mughal Factor |date=2009-03-05 |work=The Cultures of History in Early Modern India: Persianization and Mughal Culture in Bengal |pages=104 |editor-last=Chatterjee |editor-first=Kumkum |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195698800.003.0004 |access-date=2025-06-20 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195698800.003.0004 |isbn=978-0-19-569880-0|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Dalrymple states that the Maharashta Purana presents a clear and vivid depiction of the invasions.{{sfn|Dalrymple|2020|p=73}}

Historian [[William Dalrymple]] quotes Gangaram's Maharashtra Purana, a contemporary account describing the atrocities committed by the Marathas in Bengal:{{sfn|Dalrymple|2020|p=73}}
{{blockquote|They constantly shouted, 'Give us rupees, give us rupees, give us rupees. When they got no rupees, they filled their victims' nostrils with water, or drowned them in tanks. When they demanded money and it was not given to them, they would put a man to death... Bungalows, thatched-roofed houses, Vishnu-mandapas, they burned them all, large and small Every Brahman or Vaishnava or sannyasi whom they saw they killed, and they slaughtered cows and women by the hundreds.}}

The Bargi atrocities were corroborated by contemporary Dutch and British accounts.<ref name="Marshall">{{cite book|title=Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828|author=P. J. Marshall|author-link=P. J. Marshall|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2006|pages=72–73|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lIZrfokYSY8C&amp;pg=PA72|isbn=9780521028226}}</ref><ref name="Chaudhuri253">{{cite book |author=Chaudhuri |first=Kirti N. |author-link=Kirti N. Chaudhuri |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9xt7Fgzq9e8C&amp;pg=PA253 |title=The Trading World of Asia and the English East India Company: 1660-1760 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2006 |isbn=9780521031592 |page=253}}</ref> The atrocities devastated Bengal's economy, as many of the people killed in the Bargi raids included merchants, [[textile]] weavers,<ref name="Chaudhuri253"/> [[silk]] winders, and [[mulberry]] cultivators.<ref name="Marshall73"/> 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' [[loom]]s.<ref name="Chaudhuri253"/> In 1743 two [[Maratha Army|Maratha armies]] invaded - one belonged to Raghuji Bhosle, the other to [[Balaji Baji Rao|Balaji Rao]] again. Alivardi Khan was obliged to pay  a subsidy and promise to pay him ''chauth'' (tax) in the future.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marshall |first=P. J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lIZrfokYSY8C&amp;pg=PA73 |title=Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-521-02822-6 |series=The New Cambridge History of India |volume=II.2 |page=70 |language=en |author-link=P. J. Marshall}}</ref> 

Baneswar Vidyalankar's text ''Chitrachampu'' attributed the victories of the Marathas to "the wonderfully fast horses they ride." Bharatchandra's ''[[Annada Mangal|Annadamangal]]'' attributed the attacks to a particular communal factor which was the destruction of temples at [[Bhubaneswar]] by Alivardi's soldiers.{{sfn|McLane|2002|pp=166–167}}

Vaneshwar Vidyalankar, courtier of the [[Bardhaman Raj|Raja of Burdwan]] wrote in 1744 AD,<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1964|p=55}}</ref>
<blockquote>"Shahu Rajah's troops are niggard of pity, slayers of pregnant women and infants, of Brahmans and the poor, fierce of spirit, expert in robbing the property of every one and in committing every sinful act. They created a local cataclysm and caused the extirpation of the people of the Bengal villages like an (ominous) comet .... In one day they can cross a hundred yojans. They slay the unarmed, the poor, women and children. They rob all property and abduct chaste wives. If it comes to a battle, they secretly flee away to some other country. Their main strength lies in their marvellously swift horses. Such was the tumultuous ocean of Bargi troops."</blockquote>

Gangarama writes in the same year regarding the Maratha brutality:
{{Blockquote|text=“As soon as Bhaskar arrived again, he summoned all his captains and ordered them, “Draw your swords and kill every man and woman that you see.” When the commander spoke thus, they plundered and slew on every side with shouts of kill ! kill ! ! Brahmans, Vaishnavs, Sannyasis, women and cows were slaughtered by the hundred.”<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1964|pp=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.43007/page/n87/mode/1up 63–64]}}</ref>}}

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 [[Purnia|Purnea]] who departed from Alivardi and created a small autonomous state.<ref>{{cite book | last=Markovits | first=C. | title=A History of Modern India, 1480-1950 | publisher=Anthem Press | series=Anthem South Asian Studies | year=2004 | isbn=978-1-84331-152-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r2OKvG5wbaAC&amp;pg=PA194 | access-date=2022-03-18 | page=194 | archive-date=18 March 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318115453/https://books.google.com/books?id=r2OKvG5wbaAC&amp;pg=PA194 | url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Mahajan">{{cite book | last=Mahajan | first=VD | title=Modern Indian History | publisher=S. Chand Limited | year=2020 | isbn=978-93-5283-619-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vDscEAAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA42 | quote=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. | page=42 | access-date=18 March 2022 | archive-date=18 March 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318120553/https://books.google.com/books?id=vDscEAAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA42 | url-status=live }}</ref> 

The further attacks took place in 1748 in Bihar, on Murshidabad in 1750, and in 1751 in Western Bengal.<ref name="Habib">{{cite book | last1=Habib | first1=I. | last2=Panikkar | first2=K.N. | last3=Byres | first3=T.J. | last4=Patnaik | first4=U. | title=The Making of History: Essays Presented to Irfan Habib | publisher=Anthem Press | series=Anthem South Asian studies | year=2002 | isbn=978-1-84331-038-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ejrBraqBaLQC&amp;pg=PA233 | page=233 | access-date=18 March 2022 | archive-date=18 March 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318115455/https://books.google.com/books?id=ejrBraqBaLQC&amp;pg=PA233 | url-status=live }}</ref>

== End of hostilities and aftermath ==
In 1751, the Marathas signed a peace treaty with the [[Nawab of Bengal]]. Negotiations for a treaty were conducted between Mirza Saleh, representing the Marathas, and [[Mir Jafar]], representing the Nawab. Mir Jafar introduced Mirza Saleh to the Nawab at [[Katwa]], after which they proceeded to Murshidabad to finalize the treaty's terms. The agreement was formally signed with the approval of the Nagpur court in May or June 1751, based on the mutually agreed conditions.<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Datta|1939|p=114}}</ref> The terms reads as follows:

# [[Mir Habib]] the former courtier of Alivardi Khan, who had defected to the Marathas was made provincial governor of [[History of Odisha|Orissa]] under nominal control of the Nawab of Bengal.<ref name="Sengupta">{{cite book | last=Sengupta | first=N. | title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib | publisher=Penguin Books Limited | year=2011 | isbn=978-81-8475-530-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TI8GQioaoL4C&amp;pg=PT156 | page=156 | access-date=18 March 2022 | archive-date=18 March 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318115455/https://books.google.com/books?id=TI8GQioaoL4C&amp;pg=PT156 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="বাংলাদেশের ইতিহাস">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Rahim|1971|pp=293–299}}</ref>
# From October 1751, 1.2 million Rupees will be paid annually as the ''[[chauth]]'' of Bengal and Bihar, and the Marathas agreed not to invade [[Bengal]] again.<ref name="Maharashtra1974" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Chatterjee |first=Gouripada |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=23aE18nmt-0C |title=History of Bagree-Rajya (Garhbeta): With Special Reference to Its Anti-British Role, from Late 18th Century Till the Present Times |date=1987 |publisher=Mittal Publications |isbn=978-81-7099-014-7 |language=en |access-date=12 March 2024 |archive-date=6 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206051239/https://books.google.com/books?id=23aE18nmt-0C&amp;newbks=0&amp;hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> The Nawab of Bengal also paid Rs. 3.2 million to the Marathas, towards the arrears of ''chauth'' for the preceding years.<ref name="Mehta2005">{{Cite book |author1=Mehta |first=Jaswant Lal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1wUgKKzawoC&amp;dq=marathas+in+bengal+chauth+mir+habib&amp;pg=PA201 |title=Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813 |publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. |year=2005 |isbn=9781932705546 |pages=195 |access-date=15 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423154208/https://books.google.com/books?id=d1wUgKKzawoC&amp;pg=PA201&amp;lpg=PA201&amp;dq=marathas+in+bengal+chauth+mir+habib#q=marathas%20in%20bengal%20chauth%20mir%20habib |archive-date=23 April 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
# The territories beyond the [[Subarnarekha River]] near Jalasore was fixed as the boundary of the Bengal subah, and the Marathas. Marathas agreed to never cross the Subarnarekha River.<ref name="Sen2011">{{Cite book |author1=Sengupta |first=Nitish K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kVSh_TyJ0YoC&amp;dq=marathas+in+bengal+chauth+mir+habib&amp;pg=PA162 |title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib |publisher=Penguin Books India |year=2011 |isbn=9780143416784 |pages=158–163 |quote=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. |access-date=15 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227193242/https://books.google.com/books?id=kVSh_TyJ0YoC&amp;pg=PA162&amp;lpg=PA162&amp;dq=marathas+in+bengal+chauth+mir+habib#q=marathas%20in%20bengal%20chauth%20mir%20habib |archive-date=27 February 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> 

Thus ''de facto'' Maratha control over Orissa was established by 1751, while ''de jure'' it remained a part of [[Bengal Subah]] till 1752.<ref name="Sengupta" /> After the assassination of Mir Habib, the governor of Orissa in 1752, the Marathas formally incorporated Orissa in their dominion, as part of [[Nagpur kingdom]].<ref name="বাংলাদেশের ইতিহাস" />

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Datta |first=K. K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ggduAAAAMAAJ&amp;redir_esc=y |title=A Comprehensive History of India: 1712-1772, edited by A. C. Banerjee and D. K. Ghase |date=1978 |publisher=People's Publishing House |editor-last=Banerjee |editor-first=A.C. |language=en |chapter=Bengal Subah (1707-1756) |editor-last2=Ghase |editor-first2=D. K.}}
* {{Cite book |last=Sarkar |first=Jadunath |author-link=Jadunath Sarkar |url=https://books.google.com/books/about/The_History_of_Bengal.html?id=DiUKAQAAIAAJ&amp;redir_esc=y |title=The History of Bengal |date=1943 |publisher=The University of Dhaka |volume=II |location=Ramna, Dhaka |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ivermee |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6eMJEAAAQBAJ |title=Hooghly: The Global History of a River |date=2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-1-78738-325-8 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Haque |first=Mohammed Anwarul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Co8eAAAAMAAJ |title=Muslim Administration in Orissa, 1568-1751 A.D. |date=1980 |publisher=Punthi Pustak |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dalrymple |first=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HUMIEAAAQBAJ |title=The Anarchy |date=2020 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-5266-3401-6 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Datta |first=Kalikinkar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NKkbAAAAIAAJ |title=Alivardi and His Times |date=1939 |publisher=University of Calcutta |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Rahim |first=M. A. |title=Bangladesher Itihas |date=1971 |publisher=M. Alam Iden Press |editor-last=Rahim |editor-first=M. A |editor-link=Muhammad Abdur Rahim |edition=1st |location=Dhaka |pages=285–305 |language=bn |trans-title=Bangladesh's History |editor-last2=Abdul Momin |editor-first2=Chowdhury |editor-link2=Abdul Momin Chowdhury |editor-last3=Mahmood |editor-first3=A. B Mahiuddin |editor-last4=Islam |editor-first4=Sirajul |editor-link4=Sirajul Islam}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Shejwalkar |first=T. S. |date=1941 |title=The Bengal Episode in Maratha History |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/42931283 |journal=Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute |volume=2 |issue=3/4 |pages=361–382 |issn=0045-9801}}
* {{Cite book |last=Malik |first=Zahiruddin |url=https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Reign_of_Muhammad_Shah_1719_1748.html?id=S8W3AAAAIAAJ |title=The Reign of Muhammad Shah, 1719-1748 |date=1977 |publisher=Asia Publishing House |isbn=978-0-210-40598-7 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ray |first=Bhabani Charan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=37A9AAAAMAAJ |title=Orissa Under Marathas, 1751-1803 |date=1960 |publisher=Kitab Mahal |language=en |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/orissa-under-marathas-1960 |archive-date=2024-01-21}}
* {{Cite book |last=Sarkar |first=Jadunath |author-link=Jadunath Sarkar |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.43007 |title=Fall Of The Mughal Empire 1739-1754 |date= |publisher=Orient Longman Ltd |year=1964 |edition=3rd |volume=I |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Comprehensive_History_of_Modern_Bengal.html?id=Z3GxzQEACAAJ |title=A Comprehensive History of Modern Bengal, 1700-1950 |date=2020 |publisher=The Asiatic Society |isbn=978-93-89901-95-5 |editor-last=Bhattacharya |editor-first=Sabyasachi |volume=I |location=Kolkata |language=en}}
{{refend}}
{{MarathaEmpire|state=expanded}}

[[Category:Battles involving the Maratha Empire]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Bengal Subah]]
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