Maratha invasions of Bengal

Maratha invasions of Bengal
Part of the decline of the Mughal Empire
File:Echoes from Old Calcutta 028.tif A Maratha Ditch, constricted around forts and factories as protection against Maratha raids
Date April 1742 – March 1751 Location Bengal Subah (Bengal, Bihar, parts of modern Orissa) Result See Aftermath Territorial changes Territories south of Subarnarekha river ceded into the Nagpur State<ref>Sen, Sailendra Nath (2010). An Advanced History of Modern India. Macmillan India. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-230-32885-3. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2021. In 1751,...promising cession of the province of Orissa...Orissa came under the Bhonsle's control.</ref>
Belligerents
Maratha Empire Kingdom of Nagpur Supported by:<br>Afghan rebels	Bengal Subah<br>Supported by:<br> Peshwa
Commanders and leaders
Raghuji I Commanders: Janoji Bhonsle Sabaji Bhonsle Mir Habib <small>(from 1742)</small> Bhaskar Ram KolhatkarTemplate:Assassinated Alibhai QarawwalTemplate:Assassinated Shahamat KhanTemplate:Assassinated Buland Khan Ruhela Sarandaz Khan † Sayyid NurTemplate:POW Dharmadas HazariTemplate:POW Mohan Singh Raghuji Gaikwad Shesh Rao <hr /> Afghan rebels: Mustafa KhanTemplate:WIA <small>(from 1748)</small> Abdul Rasul Khan <small>(from 1745)</small> †	Alivardi Khan Commanders: Abdul Ali Khan Abdus Subhan KhanTemplate:POW Ali Quli Khan Ataullah Khan Bar Khordar Beg Chitrasen Rai<ref>McLane, John R. (1993). Land and local kinship in eighteenth-century Bengal. Cambridge University Press. pp. 155–156. ISBN 0521410746.</ref> Dost Muhammad Khan Durlabh Ram Fakhrullah Beg Khan Haidar Ali Khan Mahdi Nisar Khan Mir Abdul Aziz Mir HabibTemplate:Turncoat Mir Jafar Mir Kazim Khan Mir Khairullah Khan Mirza Beg Khan Mirza Dawar Quli Mirza Hakim Beg Muhammad RazaTemplate:POW Musahib Khan † Mustafa KhanTemplate:Turncoat <small>(Until 1745)</small> Raham Khan Saif Khan Sardar KhanTemplate:Turncoat<small> (Until 1748)</small> Saulat Jang Shaikh Masum Khan † Shamshir KhanTemplate:Turncoat <small>(Until 1748)</small> Siraj-ud-DaulahTemplate:AWOL Umar Khan Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan <hr> Balaji Baji Rao<br> Pilaji Jadav<br> Malhar Holkar
Strength
First invasion: 10,000 or 12,000 or 20,000 cavalry<hr>Second invasion: 50,000 cavalry or 75,000<hr>Third invasion: 20,000 cavalry<hr>Fourth invasion:<br>Barabati: 14,000 or 20,000 cavalry<br>25,000 infantry<br>300 guns<br>Naubatpur: 12,000<br>Bhagalpur: 5,000–6,000<br>Cuttack: 8,000 cavalry<br>20,000 infantry<hr>Fifth invasion:<br>Bihar: 5,000 cavalry<br>7,000 infantry<br>Cuttack: 7,000–8,000<br>Balasore: 40,000<br>Midnapore: 12,000 cavalry	First invasion: 23,000–26,000<hr>Second invasion: 70,000 cavalry<br>100,000 musketeers<hr>Third invasion: Unknown<hr>Fourth invasion:<br>Barabati: 400<br>Naubatpur: 14,000 or 20,000<br>Bhagalpur: 600<br>Cuttack: 7,000–8,000 cavalry<br>12,000 infantry<hr>Fifth invasion:<br>Burdwan: 8,000<br>Midnapore: 5,000–6,000 cavalry
Casualties and losses
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"/> (Template:Approx. 1.4% of Bengal's population killed.)<ref name="Bhattacharya360"/>

Template:Campaignbox Maratha invasions of Bengal

The Maratha invasions of Bengal (1742–1751), were the a series of raids by the Maratha forces in the Bengal Subah (Bengal, Bihar, 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.<ref name="Maharashtra1974">Government of Maharashtra (1974). Maharashtra State Gazetteers: Wardha District (2nd ed.). Bombay: Director of Government Printing, Stationery and Publications, Maharashtra State. p. 63. OCLC 77864804.</ref> Between April 1742 to March 1751, the Marathas invaded Bengal five times in 1742, 1743, 1744, 1745 and 1748 respectively,<ref name="Mehta2005" /> causing widespread economic losses in the Bengal Subah.

The resurgent Maratha Empire emerging from Maharashtra quickly repulsed the 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 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 Baji Rao I, the Marathas sought to expand their dominance, with Raghuji Bhonsle targeting Bengal for its wealth and lack of Maratha tribute. Political instability in Bengal, coupled with invitations from ousted Nawab Sarfaraz’s (r. 1739–1740) allies, prompted Raghuji’s invasions.

According to Muslim writers the invasions were encouraged by Nizam-ul-mulk to divert Maratha attention from Deccan. Contemporary Bengali works like Bhratacandra's Annadāmangala portray the invasions as Hindu resistance against Muslim oppression.<ref name=":4">Datta 1939, p. 58</ref> He presented the Bargis as agents of Shiva.<ref name=":6">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 Krishnanagar Zamidari and imprisoned by Nawab of Bengal after failing to pay tribute. Another contemporary Hindu poet Gangarama’s 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 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.<ref>Haque 1980, p. 211</ref>

Invasions of Bengal

First invasion (1742)

Main article: 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>Sarkar 1943, pp. 455—456</ref><ref>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 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.<ref>Sarkar 1943, pp. 456–458</ref><ref>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 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.<ref>Sarkar 1943, p. 458</ref><ref>Datta 1978, p. 184</ref>

Alivardi Khan successfully repelled the invasion, although not without the unfortunate consequence of Murshidabad and Hooghly suffering from plundering.<ref name="Marshall72">P. J. Marshall (2006). Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828. Cambridge University Press. p. 72. ISBN 9780521028226.</ref><ref>Gupta, Brijen Kishore (1966). Sirajuddaullah and the East India Company, 1756-1757: Background to the Foundation of British Power in India. Brill Archive. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.</ref>

Second invasion (1743)

Main article: Second Maratha invasion of Bengal

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.<ref name=":0">Tony, Jacques (30 November 2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 516. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5.</ref> In 1743, Raghuji occupied Burdwan with his camp at Katwa.<ref name=":1">Sarkar 1964, pp. 61–75</ref>

Third invasion (1744)

Main article: 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 where he and his force were defeated by Alivardi Khan at the Second Battle of Katwa.<ref name=":0" />

Fourth invasion (1745–1747)

Main article: 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>Tony, Jacques (30 November 2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5.</ref>

Fifth invasion (1748–1751)

Main article: 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>Chandra, Anil (1978). A Comprehensive History of India: 1712-1772. p. 187.</ref>

Campaign timeline

Battle	Time	Location	Belligerents		Result
			Bengal Subah	Maratha Empire
Siege of Barabati Fort	19 April 1742	Barabati fort, Cuttack	Shaikh Masum Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Bhaskar Ram Kolhatkar	Maratha victory<ref>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	Muhammad Raza Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Mir Habib Shesh Rao	Maratha victory<ref>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	Alivardi Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Bhaskar Ram Kolhatkar	Bengal Subah victory<ref>Rahim 1971, p. 293 "ভাস্কর পণ্ডিত মহা ধূমবামের সহিত দুর্গা পূজা করিতেছিলেন। আলীবর্দীর আক্রমণে ভীত হইয়া তিনি কাটোয়া হইতে পলায়ন করেন (২৭শে সেপ্টেম্বর, ১৭৪২)।" transl. 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	Shaikh Masum Khan †	Kingdom of Nagpur Unknown	Maratha victory<ref>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, Odisha	Alivardi Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Bhaskar Ram Kolhatkar	Bengal Subah victory<ref>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, Bihar	Ahmad Khan Qureshi	Peshwa of the Maratha Empire Balaji Baji Rao	Maratha victory<ref>Datta 1939, p. 83</ref>
Battle of Birbhum	April 1743	Birbhum	Alivardi Khan<br /> Balaji Baji Rao	Kingdom of Nagpur Raghuji I	Bengal Subah–Peshwa victory<ref>Datta 1939, p. 86</ref>
Siege of Barabati (1745)	May 1745	Barabati fort, Cuttack	Durlabh RamTemplate:POW<br /> Mir Abdul AzizTemplate:Surrendered	Kingdom of Nagpur Raghuji I	Maratha victory<ref>Ray 1960, p. 14 Datta 1939, p. 94</ref>
Battle of Naubatpur (1745)	November 1745	Muhib Alipur, near Naubatpur, Bihar	Alivardi Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Raghuji I Afghan rebels	Bengal Subah victory<ref>Rahim 1971, p. 296 "মারাঠাদেরকে অনুসরণ করিয়া আলীবর্দী বিহারে আসেন এবং মুহিব-আলীপুর নামক স্থানে ইহাদেরকে পরাজিত করেন (১৪ই নবেম্বর, ১৭৪৫)।" transl. Alivardi followed the Marathas to Bihar and defeated them at a place called Muhib-Alipur (November 14, 1745).</ref><ref>Datta 1939, p. 97</ref>
Battle of Bhagalpur (1745)	December 1745	Bhagalpur, Bihar	Alivardi Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Raghuji I	Bengal Subah victory<ref>Datta 1939, p. 98</ref>
Battle of Ranidighi	22 December 1745	Ranidighi, near Katwa	Alivardi Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Raghuji I	Bengal Subah victory<ref>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	Mir Jafar	Sayyid Nur	Bengal Subah victory<ref>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	Burdwan	Mir Jafar<br /> Ataullah Khan Sabet Jang<br /> Fakhruddin Beg Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Janoji Mir Habib	Indecisive<ref>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." Sarkar 1964, p. 84</ref>
Battle of Burdwan	March 1747	Burdwan	Alivardi Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Janoji	Bengal Subah victory<ref>Datta 1939, p. 102 "He personally led his army to Burdwan and defeated the Marathas in a furiously contested battle." 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	Champanagar, Bihar	Alivardi Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Mir Habib	Bengal Subah victory<ref>Datta 1939, p. 104</ref>
Battle of Rani Sarai	16 April 1748	Rani Sarai, near Barh, Bihar	Alivardi Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Mir Habib Janoji of Nagpur Afghan rebels	Bengal Subah victory<ref>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." 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	Dost Muhammad Khan<br /> Mir Kazim Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Mir Habib	Bengal Subah victory<ref>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	Alivardi Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Sayyid NurTemplate:POW Sarandaz Khan † Dharmadas HazariTemplate:POW	Bengal Subah victory<ref>Datta 1939, p. 108</ref>
Maratha recapture of Cuttack	June 1749	Cuttack, Odisha	Shaikh Abdus SubhanTemplate:POW	Kingdom of Nagpur Mir Habib	Maratha victory<ref>Sarkar 1964, p. 97</ref>
Battle of Midnapore	December 1750	Midnapore	Alivardi Khan	Kingdom of Nagpur Mir Habib	Bengal Subah victory<ref>Datta 1939, p. 113 Sarkar 1964, pp. 100–101</ref>

Atrocities during Maratha invasions

There were a total of five invasions between 1742 and 1751.<ref name="Davies">C. C. Davies (1957). "Chapter XXIII: Rivalries in India". In J. O. Lindsay (ed.). The New Cambridge Modern History. Vol. VII: The Old Regime 1713–63. Cambridge University Press. p. 555. ISBN 978-0-521-04545-2. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2019.</ref> The continuous conflict took a heavy toll on the population of Bengal.<ref name="Marshall73">Marshall, P. J. (2006). Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828. Cambridge University Press. p. 73. ISBN 9780521028226.</ref> During that period of invasion by the Marathas, light cavalry called as "Bargis", perpetrated atrocities against the local population of Bengalis and Biharis. As reported in 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">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 children,<ref name=":2">Gupta, Brijen Kishore (1962). Sirajuddaullah and the East India Company, 1756-1757: Background to the Foundation of British Power in India. Brill Archive. p. 23. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2021. horrors perpetrated by the Marathas on women and children which included gang rape.</ref><ref name=":3">Edwardes, Allen (1966). The Rape of India: A Biography of Robert Clive and a Sexual History of the Conquest of Hindustan. Julian Press. p. 131. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2021. '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 & embugger Children of both sexes thereafter selling them into slavery</ref><ref name=":5">Seminar. R. Thapar. 1989. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2021. 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</ref><ref name=":7">The New Cambridge Modern History. CUP Archive. 1970. p. 555. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2021. they indulged in the unspeakable practice of gang-rape</ref> and mutilation of victims by the Marathas which included cutting off their hands and noses and forced castrations The Marathas enslaved children in Bengal.<ref name=":3"/><ref name=":8">McDermott, Rachel Fell (28 June 2001). Mother of My Heart, Daughter of My Dreams: Kali and Uma in the Devotional Poetry of Bengal. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-803071-3. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 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.</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">Aklam Hussain (1997). History of Bangladesh, 1704-1971. Vol. 2. University of Michigan, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. p. 80. ISBN 9789845123372. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2020.</ref> Zamindars outside the affected districts and also from the districts that involved this conflict were affected by the Maratha raids.<ref>McLane, John R. (25 July 2002). Land and Local Kingship in Eighteenth-Century Bengal. Cambridge University Press. pp. 166–167. ISBN 978-0-521-52654-8.</ref>

Historians generally view Maharashta Purana particularly as a "contemporary mirror" of the Maratha plunders.<ref>Chatterjee, Kumkum (5 March 2009), Chatterjee, Kumkum (ed.), "Performance Narratives and the Mughal Factor", The Cultures of History in Early Modern India: Persianization and Mughal Culture in Bengal, Oxford University Press, p. 104, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195698800.003.0004, ISBN 978-0-19-569880-0, retrieved 20 June 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)</ref> Dalrymple states that the Maharashta Purana presents a clear and vivid depiction of the invasions.

Historian William Dalrymple quotes Gangaram's Maharashtra Purana, a contemporary account describing the atrocities committed by the Marathas in Bengal:

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">P. J. Marshall (2006). Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828. Cambridge University Press. pp. 72–73. ISBN 9780521028226.</ref><ref name="Chaudhuri253">Chaudhuri, Kirti N. (2006). The Trading World of Asia and the English East India Company: 1660-1760. Cambridge University Press. p. 253. ISBN 9780521031592.</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' looms.<ref name="Chaudhuri253"/> In 1743 two Maratha armies invaded - one belonged to Raghuji Bhosle, the other to Balaji Rao again. Alivardi Khan was obliged to pay a subsidy and promise to pay him chauth (tax) in the future.<ref>Marshall, P. J. (1987). Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828. The New Cambridge History of India. Vol. II.2. Cambridge University Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-521-02822-6.</ref>

Baneswar Vidyalankar's text Chitrachampu attributed the victories of the Marathas to "the wonderfully fast horses they ride." Bharatchandra's Annadamangal attributed the attacks to a particular communal factor which was the destruction of temples at Bhubaneswar by Alivardi's soldiers.

Vaneshwar Vidyalankar, courtier of the Raja of Burdwan wrote in 1744 AD,<ref>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:

“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>Sarkar 1964, pp. 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 Purnea who departed from Alivardi and created a small autonomous state.<ref>Markovits, C. (2004). A History of Modern India, 1480-1950. Anthem South Asian Studies. Anthem Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-1-84331-152-2. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.</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">Mahajan, VD (2020). Modern Indian History. S. Chand Limited. p. 42. ISBN 978-93-5283-619-2. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022. 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.</ref>

The further attacks took place in 1748 in Bihar, on Murshidabad in 1750, and in 1751 in Western Bengal.<ref name="Habib">Habib, I.; Panikkar, K.N.; Byres, T.J.; Patnaik, U. (2002). The Making of History: Essays Presented to Irfan Habib. Anthem South Asian studies. Anthem Press. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-84331-038-9. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.</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>Datta 1939, p. 114</ref> The terms reads as follows:

1. Mir Habib the former courtier of Alivardi Khan, who had defected to the Marathas was made provincial governor of Orissa under nominal control of the Nawab of Bengal.<ref name="Sengupta">Sengupta, N. (2011). Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib. Penguin Books Limited. p. 156. ISBN 978-81-8475-530-5. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.</ref><ref name="বাংলাদেশের ইতিহাস">Rahim 1971, pp. 293–299</ref>
2. 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>Chatterjee, Gouripada (1987). History of Bagree-Rajya (Garhbeta): With Special Reference to Its Anti-British Role, from Late 18th Century Till the Present Times. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-014-7. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.</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">Mehta, Jaswant Lal (2005). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. p. 195. ISBN 9781932705546. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2020.</ref>
3. 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">Sengupta, Nitish K. (2011). Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib. Penguin Books India. pp. 158–163. ISBN 9780143416784. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2020. 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.</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" />