| Battle at Bhagalpur | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Maratha invasions of Bengal | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Bengal Subah | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Alivardi Khan Dost Mohammad Khan |  Raghuji Bhonsle [3] | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 600 Cavalrymen | 6,000 Cavalrymen | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Heavy | ||||||||
  Battle at Bhagalpur Location within Bihar  Battle at Bhagalpur Battle at Bhagalpur (India) | |||||||||
The Battle at Bhagalpur [4] (1745) was a military expedition launched by Raghuji in the Bihar territory of the Nawab of Bengal.
In September 1745, Raghoji attacked Bihar. This strong team of Marathas and Afghans was a big challenge for Alivardi. Also, his main Afghan generals, Shamshir Khan and Sardar Khan, were not loyal to him. They betrayed him during the battle against the Marathas at the Sone River in November. [5]
When Alivardi was away from Murshidabad, the Marathas led by Raghuji quickly rode their light horses to attack and destroy the city. Alivardi rushed back to Murshidabad, but on the way, Raghuji and his 6,000 men ambushed Alivardi near Bhagalpur. Despite being outnumbered, Alivardi bravely fought back with his 600 men and managed to drive the Marathas away. Alivardi was helped by his own officer named Dost Mohammad Khan, who surrounded Raghuji in a way that forced him to leave the area. [6] [7] [8]
To avoid facing the Bengal army again, Raghuji decided to take a different route through the hills and jungles of Santhal Parganas and Birbhum on his way to Murshidabad. [9]
After suffering a defeat at Bhagalpur, Raghuji crossed Murshidabad and reached Katwa, where he faced a crushing defeat at the hands of Nawab and was forced to retreat back to his state.[ citation needed ]
