Battle of Bhagalpur (1745)

Battle of Bhagalpur (1745)
Part of Fourth Maratha invasion of Bengal
Date November/December 1745 Location Bhagalpur, Bihar 25°15′N87°0′E / 25.250°N 87.000°E / 25.250; 87.000 Result Bengal Subah victory [1] Territorial changes Status quo ante bellum
Belligerents
Bengal Subah	Maratha Empire Nagpur State
Commanders and leaders
Alivardi Khan Dost Mohammad Khan Jaswantnagar Mir Ghulam Ashraf	Raghuji Bhonsle [2]
Strength
600 cavalry	6,000 cavalry
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Heavy
Battle of Bhagalpur class=notpageimage| Location within Bihar Show map of Bihar Battle of Bhagalpur Battle of Bhagalpur (India) Show map of India

Battle of Bhagalpur ^[3] in 1745 was a military conflict between Marathas under Raghuji I of Nagpur and Nawab Alivardi Khan in the Bihar province of Bengal Subah.

Background

Main article: Battle of Naubatpur (1745)

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 Alivardi against the Marathas in a battle near Naubatpur on the bank of Sone River in November. ^[4]

Battle

When Alivardi was away from Murshidabad, the Marathas led by Raghuji quickly rode their light horses to attack and destroy the city.

The Nawab's forces crossed the Son River under considerable difficulty, enduring severe shortages of provisions. Two prominent officers under Zain ud-Din, Jaswantnagar and Mir Ghulam Ashraf joined the Nawab's army after facing significant hardships en route due to Maratha interference. Alivardi subsequently directed his advance toward Bengal via Maner and Patna. ^[5]

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]}

Aftermath

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. ^[5]

See also

• Battle of Katwa (1742)
• Battle of Jagdishpur (1745)
• Battle of Naubatpur (1745)
• Siege of Barabati (1745)

References

1. Beames 2004, pp. 20 "Bhagalpur, effected a junction with Ali Vardi Khan at Murshidabad and bore down on Raghoji . The latter having no mind to come to open blows with the Minister of his nominal sovereign, retreated but was overtaken and defeated"
   Mishra 1970, pp. 46 "Bhagalpur on the stream of Champanala, a battle was fought between the Nawab and Raghuji. Raghuji was defeated"
2. Mishra 1970, p. 46
3. Kumar, Purushottam (1991). Mutinies and Rebellions in Chotanagpur, 1831-1857. Janaki Prakashan. There was a running battle with Alivardi, and there was again a Battle at Bhagalpur.
4. Congress, Indian History (1959). Proceedings - Indian History Congress. p. 386.
5. Datta 1939 , p. 98
6. Beames 2004 , p. 20
7. Ganguli, Samir (2023-09-30). The Zamindars and Nawabs of Bengal. Blue Rose Publishers. p. 285.
8. Sarkar 1964 , p. 77
9. Society, Bombay Historical (1930). Journal.

Bibliography

• Datta, Kalikinkar (1939). Alivardi and His Times. University of Calcutta.
• Sarkar, Jadunath (1964). Fall Of The Mughal Empire 1739-1754. Vol. I (3rd ed.). Orient Longman Ltd.
• Mishra, Shree Govind (1970). History of Bihar, 1740-1772. Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN   978-81-215-0382-2.
• Beames, John (2004). Essays on Orissan History and Literature. Prafulla. ISBN   978-81-901589-2-3.