First Battle Of Cuttack
In 1742, Raghuji the Great entrusted his prime minister, Bhaskar Ram, with the responsibility of launching the first Maratha invasions of Bengal and enforcing the collection of chauth a form of tribute on behalf of the Bhonsle state. Bhaskar Ram led a formidable force of approximately 20,000 cavalry, accompanied by twenty-three subordinate commanders. The expedition began with a swift and unchallenged march through the province of Orissa, where the Maratha army encountered little to no resistance.[1]
| First Battle Of Cuttack | |||||||||
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| Part of Maratha invasions of Bengal | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Bengal Subah | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Shaikh Masum(POW) Durlabhram (POW) |
 Raghuji the Great Bhaskar Pandit | ||||||||
Upon entering Orissa, Bhaskar Ram successfully overpowered its Deputy Governor, Shaikh Masum Khan. In the course of this campaign, he also captured Durlabhram, the deputy or peshkār of the province, taking him as a prisoner. After consolidating Maratha control in Orissa, Bhaskar Ram advanced into Bengal, moving through the region of Pachet an area that corresponds to present-day Raniganj and its surrounding districts thus opening the path for a deeper Maratha incursion into Bengal’s heartland.[2][3]
ReferenceEdit
- ↑ Datta, Kalikinkar. Alivardi And His Times.
- ↑ Sarkar, Jadunath. Fall Of The Mughal Empire- Vol. I (4Th Edn.), Volume 1.
- ↑ Shanta Aathana (1978). Life & Times Of Raghuji Bhonsle I Of Nagpur.