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{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Kandarpi Ghat
| date = 4th - 7th October, 1753
| place = Kandarpi Ghat, [[Mahrail]], Harna Village, [[Mithila]] (present-day [[Mithila]], [[Bihar]], [[India]])
| territory =
| result = [[Raj Darbhanga]] Victory, [[Mithila]] becomes Independent.
| status =
| combatant1 = [[File:Darbhanga-insignia-aumkarthakur.jpg|25px]] [[Raj Darbhanga]]
| combatant2 = [[File:Flag of the Principality of Bengal (15th-18th century).svg|25px]] [[Bengal Subah]]
| commander1 = [[Maharaja Narendra Singh]]
| commander2 = [[Alivardi Khan]]
| strength1 = Unknown
| strength2 = 5,000
| casualties1 = Low
| casualties2 = Heavy
| notes = Alivardi Khan's Army got defeated by Mithila Naresh.
}}

The '''Battle of Kandarpi Ghat''' occurred between the [[Nawab of Bengal]] and [[Raj Darbhanga]] in October 1753.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Choudhary |first=Rabindra Nath |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=nmYeAAAAMAAJ&q=bettiah+raj+mithila&redir_esc=y |title=Political History of Khandavala Dynasity [sic] in Mithila, 1556-1793 |date=1987 |publisher=Capital Publishing House |language=en}}</ref> Many nearby kings were jealous of the wealth of Kings of Raj Darbhanga so they invaded it multiple times throughout history, but they stayed guarded and soon the later King, '''Maharaja Narendra Singh''' of Raj Darbhanga refused to submit to such invasions and one such was from the Mughal [[Bengal Subah]] of [[Alivardi Khan]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Henningham |first=Stephen |date=1983 |title=Bureaucracy and Control in India's Great Landed Estates: The Raj Darbhanga of Bihar, 1879 to 1950 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/312401 |journal=Modern Asian Studies |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=35–55 |issn=0026-749X}}</ref>

== Backgound ==
Mahesh Thakur's descendants of [[Raj Darbhanga]] and Kings before him of this region often engaged in military operations to subjugate neighboring chiefs and powerful rulers. Nawab [[Alivardi Khan]], always in need of money had attacked Hindu Rulers of Northern-Eastern India including Bihar, Bengal and Orissa, and finally moved towards Kings of Mithila i.e., Raj Darbhanga who had no choice but to fight him.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Muslim Rule in Tirhut (1206-1765 A.D.) |url=http://indianculture.gov.in/ebooks/history-muslim-rule-tirhut-1206-1765-ad |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=INDIAN CULTURE |language=en}}</ref>

With the help of Afghans, Alivardi Khan advanced with his forces against the Rulers of [[Bettiah Raj|Bettiah]] and Bhawara of [[Mithila (region)|Mithila]]. These rulers often held pride for themselves and never paid taxes but, they were defeated here by Alivardi's forces and agreed to pay a sum.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Thakur |first=Upendra |date=1958 |title=Alivardi and the Afghans of Tirhut |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44145227 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=21 |pages=376–392 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref>

== War with Raj Darbhanga ==
Maharaja Raghava Singh of Raj Darbhanga defeated Bhup Singh, a Ruler of Nepal who had previously captured a palace in Muzaffarpur of Mithila. Bhup Singh was defeated in a battle and killed. Maharaja Raghava Singh had fought three more battles in his lifetime.

His descendant, Maharaja Narendra Singh soon engaged in the battle better known as the "Battle of Kandarpi Ghat" between the 4th and 7th October due to an invasion. The battle was fought between [[Raj Darbhanga]] led by Maharaja Narendra Singh himself and Alivardi's [[Bengal Subah|Mughal Bengal Subah]]'s forces which was commanded by "Bhikari Mahtha" who was sent with an army of 5,000 by the [[Subahdar]], "Ram Narayana" of [[Bihar]] under [[Alivardi Khan]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jha |first=Pankaj Kumar |date=2006 |title=Feudalism from Above: The Culture of Sotipura and the Problem of Identity — Formation in Mithila |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44147977 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=67 |pages=571–581 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref> Both sides used firearms for the first time ever in Mithila. The battle was started on 5th of October 1753. Initially, Bhikhari Mehtha was getting an upper hand but soon on 7th of October 1753, Maharaja Narendra Singh himself came to the battlefield with his Elephant who was known as "Gajendra". The people of Mithila regardless of classes and differences also joined Maharaja after they saw him engaging with an outsider. Even though his elephant was killed in the battle Maharaja still succeeded. One of his commanders, "Umrao Singh" was killed but he still defeated another commander of Alivardi Khan also known as Salawat Roy and few others. There was a confusion in forces which were led by Bhikari Mehtha due to this sudden attack from Maharaj's army so he along with his forces fled away from Mithila as quickly as possible. Thus, Raj Darbhanga finally made Mithila free from [[Alivardi Khan|Alivardi]]'s [[Bengal Subah]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Salim |first=Ghulam Husain |url=https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Riyazu_S_Salatin_a_History_of_Bengal_Tra.html?id=8XU0rgEACAAJ&redir_esc=y |title=Riyazu-S-Salatin; a History of Bengal. Translated from the Original Persian by Maulavi Abdus Salam - Scholar's Choice Edition |date=2015-02-13 |publisher=Bibliolife DBA of Bibilio Bazaar II LLC |isbn=978-1-297-00064-5 |language=en}}</ref>

A contemporary source and family historian called "Gopala Kavi" had included in his writings that "Maharaja Narendra Singh" of [[Raj Darbhanga]] was asked a favour by the Emperor [[Muhammad Shah]] of [[Mughal Empire]] to help him subjugate two Islamic rulers on the Northern-Western Frontier of India which they successfully did so. All the Rulers of Raj Darbhanga up to the time of Maharaja Madho Singh were always depicted in their official documents as "ever victorious and undefeated in battle".

== Victory Pillar ==
A Vijaya Stambh i.e.,a victory pillar has been erected and constructed to commemorate this event by the efforts of Dr. Rangnath Diwaker in Kandarpi Ghat, Mahrail, Mithila.

It is also observed that Alivardi's Army could even give trouble to the Marathas as they had done so in [[Battle of Burdwan]] so they were not easy to deal with.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jacques |first=Tony |date=2015-06-26 |title=Dictionary of Battles and Sieges |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626120848/http://m.friendfeed-media.com/6e9ec7f58014456d2d5fd015cc8af9d2974509c0 |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=web.archive.org |publisher=Greenwood Press |page=175 |isbn=978-0-313-33536-5}}</ref>
[[File:Kandarpi_Ghat_Mithila_Vijay_Stambh.jpg|thumb|Kandarpi Ghat Mithila Vijay Stambh]]
[[File:Mithila_Victory_Pillar.jpg|thumb|Mithila Victory Pillar for this event.]]

== References==
{{reflist}}

== See also ==
* [[Shiva Simha Singh]]
* [[Caṇḍeśvara Ṭhakkura|Chandesvara Thakur]]
* [[Mir Jafar]]

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Indian kingdoms]]
[[Category:Mithila]]

Battle of Kandarpi Ghat - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Creating a new article