The Maratha invasions of Bengal (1742–1751), were a series of raids by the Maratha forces in the Bengal Subah (Bengal, Bihar, and parts of modern Orissa) after the successful campaign in the Carnatic region at the Battle of Trichinopoly. The campaigns were carried out under Raghuji I of Nagpur to impose Chauth. Between April 1742 to March 1751, the Marathas invaded Bengal five times in 1742, 1743, 1744, 1745 and 1748 respectively, causing widespread economic losses in the Bengal Subah.
In the early 18th century, the newly-risen Maratha Empire from modern Maharashtra inflicted a series of defeats over the Mughals, capturing several provinces formerly belonging to the Mughal Empire. It was during this period they reached at the de facto independent Bengal Subah, particularly Orissa. Marathas conducted raids within Bengal and plundered cities and villages and caused widespread devastation. After devastating conflicts both sides sued for peace which resulted in the Nawab of Bengal agreeing to cede Orissa to the Maratha Empire and to pay an annual tribute in exchange for not being raided again.
Background The Maratha invasions of Bengal were driven by Maratha imperialism, aiming to dismantle the declining Mughal Empire. Initiated by Peshwa Baji Rao I, the Marathas sought to expand their dominance, with Raghuji Bhonsle targeting Bengal for its wealth and to extract tribute. Political instability in Bengal, coupled with invitations from ousted Nawab Sarfaraz’s () allies, prompted Raghuji to invade.
Contemporary Bengali works like Bhratachandra's Annadāmangala portray the invasions as Hindu resistance against Muslim oppression. He presented the Bargis as agents of Shiva. "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." Bhratachandra's narrative could be biased as he was the court poet of the zamindar of Krishnanagar who had been imprisoned by the Nawab of Bengal after failing to pay tribute. Another contemporary Hindu poet, Gangarama, wrote the Mahārāṣtrapurāṇa, which suggests initial public hope in Maratha intervention, followed by disappointment and eventual support for Bengal's Muslim government. The atrocities committed by the Marathas against Bengali Hindus chilled initial perceptions of the Marathas as Hindu liberators.
Lastly, seeking revenge against Alivardi Khan, the relatives and partisans of the former Nawab Sarfaraz Khan invited Raghuji to invade Alivardi's dominions. The Riyaz-us-Salatin asserts that Mir Habib went to invite the Marathas following the defeat of 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 fighting at Katwa.
Invasions of Bengal First invasion (1742)
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. 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 Burdwan, Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum, Midnapore, Santal Parganas, and Odisha up to Balasore, committing atrocities. Gangaram wrote in his poems that the people fled with belongings, only to be robbed, mutilated, or killed; women were abducted and raped, villages burned. Many Bengalis migrated eastward for safety. Alivardi used the lull to regroup at camps near Murshidabad, reinforced by nephew the Naib Nazim of Bihar 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 and 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.
Alivardi Khan successfully repelled the invasion, although not without the unfortunate consequence of Murshidabad and Hooghly suffering from plundering.
Second invasion (1743)
Raghuji I 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 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 Pant the Maratha commander, was killed in action. In 1743, Raghuji occupied Burdwan with his camp at Katwa.
Third invasion (1744)
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.
Fourth invasion (1745–1747)
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. An army was amassed to defend against the invading Maratha forces at Orissa after the dismissal of Mir Jafar by Alivardi Khan.
Fifth invasion (1748–1751)
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.
Campaign timeline BattleTimeLocationBelligerentsResultBengal SubahMaratha Empire Siege of Barabati Fort 19 April 1742 Barabati fort, Cuttack Shaikh Masum Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Maratha victory "Bhaskar marched through Orissa unopposed and arrived in Cuttack. The fort of Barabati was captured on 19.4.1742." Siege of Hoogly May 1742 Hooghly Muhammad Raza Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Maratha victory "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." Battle of Katwa (1742) 27 September 1742 Katwa Alivardi Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Bengal Subah victory "ভাস্কর পণ্ডিত মহা ধূমবামের সহিত দুর্গা পূজা করিতেছিলেন। আলীবর্দীর আক্রমণে ভীত হইয়া তিনি কাটোয়া হইতে পলায়ন করেন (২৭শে সেপ্টেম্বর, ১৭৪২)।" Battle of Jaipur October Jeypore, Odisha Shaikh Masum Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Maratha victory "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" Battle of Midnapore Pre-December 1742 Balasore, Odisha Alivardi Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Bengal Subah victory "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" Siege of Ghauspur Fort February 1743 Fort of Ghauspur, Gaya, Bihar Ahmad Khan Qureshi Peshwa of the Maratha Empire Maratha victory Battle of Birbhum April 1743 Birbhum Alivardi Khan Balaji Baji Rao Kingdom of Nagpur Bengal Subah–Peshwa victory Siege of Barabati (1745) May 1745 Barabati fort, Cuttack Durlabh Ram Mir Abdul Aziz Kingdom of Nagpur Maratha victory Battle of Naubatpur (1745) November 1745 Muhib Alipur, near Naubatpur, Bihar Alivardi Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Afghan rebels Bengal Subah victory "মারাঠাদেরকে অনুসরণ করিয়া আলীবর্দী বিহারে আসেন এবং মুহিব-আলীপুর নামক স্থানে ইহাদেরকে পরাজিত করেন (১৪ই নবেম্বর, ১৭৪৫)।" Battle of Bhagalpur (1745) December 1745 Bhagalpur, Bihar Alivardi Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Bengal Subah victory Battle of Ranidighi 22 December 1745 Ranidighi, near Katwa Alivardi Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Bengal Subah victory "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" Battle of Midnapore 12 December 1746 Near Midnapore Mir Jafar Sayyid Nur Bengal Subah victory "Mir Ja'afar defeated Saiyid Nur, the lieutenant of Mir Habib, near Midnapur on 12 December 1746." Battle of Burdwan February 1747 Burdwan Mir Jafar Ataullah Khan Sabet Jang Fakhruddin Beg Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Indecisive "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." Battle of Burdwan March 1747 Burdwan Alivardi Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Bengal Subah victory "He personally led his army to Burdwan and defeated the Marathas in a furiously contested battle." "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." Battle of Champanagar May 1748 Champanagar, Bihar Alivardi Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Bengal Subah victory Battle of Rani Sarai 16 April 1748 Rani Sarai, near Barh, Bihar Alivardi Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Afghan rebels Bengal Subah victory "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." "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." Battle of Midnapore March 1749 Near Midnapore Dost Muhammad Khan Mir Kazim Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Bengal Subah victory "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." Siege of Cuttack (1749) May – June 1749 Cuttack, Odisha Alivardi Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Bengal Subah victory Maratha recapture of Cuttack June 1749 Cuttack, Odisha Shaikh Abdus Subhan Kingdom of Nagpur Maratha victory Battle of Midnapore December 1750 Midnapore Alivardi Khan Kingdom of Nagpur Bengal Subah victory
Atrocities during Maratha invasions