Siege of Ratanpur (1740)

The siege of Ratanpur in 1740 was a siege led by the Marathas of Nagpur on the fort of Ratanpur, capital of the Haihaiyavanshi Kingdom. There was almost no resistance by the Haihaiyavanshis, which resulted in a victory for the Marathas.

Siege of Ratanpur (1740)
Part of Maratha conquest of Chhattisgarh
Date 1740 Location Ratanpur Result Maratha victory Ratanpur fort captured and looted by Marathas Haihaiyavanshi Kingdom and other petty chieftains come under suzerainty of Nagpur Territorial changes Haihaiyavanshi Kingdom and other petty chieftains such as Kanker State, Koriya State, come under suzerainty of Nagpur
Belligerents
Maratha Empire Kingdom of Nagpur	Haihaiyavanshi Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Raghuji the Great	Raghunath Singh
Strength
40,000 men chiefly Cavalry	unknown

Background

The Bhonsle Maratha armies passed through Chhattisgarh on their way to invade the Odia kingdoms in eastern India. Bhaskar Pant invaded the Haihaiyavanshi Kingdom at the close of 1740. According to Sir Charles Grant, Raghunath Singh, the Haihaiyavanshi king, was bowed down with a heavy sorrow, which was the loss of his only son. He refused to take any interest in the government for nearly a year. At best, he was a feeble man, but now worn out with years and afflicted in mind. According to Sir Charles Grant, the Maratha army is said to have consisted of 40,000 men, chiefly horsemen. The branch Haihaiyavanshi ruler of Raipur, Amar Singh, did not oppose him.

Siege

Raghunath Singh made no effort to defend his kingdom and waited till Bhaskar Pant reached his capital. Even then, there was no resistance from the defenders. But Raghunath Singh ordered the gates of the fort to be shut. Bhaskar Pant bought his guns to play on the fort, and soon a part of the palace was in ruins. At this point, one of the Ranis (queen) named Laxmi hoisted a white flag on the ramparts of the fort. The gates for opened, and the invading Marathas entered the fort and looted the city.