Capture of Odisha (1741)
| Capture of Odisha (1741) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Bengal Subah |
Odisha Subah Supported by Marathas Local rebels | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Alivardi Khan Sayyid Ahmad Khan (POW) Manikchand (AWOL) Qasim Ali Khan Mir Jafar Gujar Khan † Husain Beg Khan † Qasim Beg † Shaikh Hediatullah (WIA) Mustafa Khan Mir Muhammad Amin Khan Asalat Khan Dilir Khan |
Lutfullah Tabrizi Agha Baqer Khan (WIA) Allauddin Muhammad Khan Abed Khan Mukhlis Ali Khan Muqarrab Khan Mujtaba Ali † Mir Ali Akbar † Mir Abdul Aziz † Shah Murad Khan Haji Muhammad Amin (AWOL) | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
Phulwari: 10,000 or 12,000 Riapur: 20,000 cavalry Unknown artillery |
Phulwari: Unknown soldiers 300 cannons Riapur: Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown |
Phulwari: 300 killed All artilleries captured | ||||||||
In March 1741, Alivardi Khan led an expedition and defeated the deputy governor Lutfullah Tabrizi (also known as Rustam Jang or Murshid Quli Khan II) at the Battle of Phulwari near Balasore. The defeated forces fled southward, enabling Alivardi to occupy its capital Cuttack and appoint his nephew Syed Ahmad Khan alias Saulat Jang as deputy governor. However, Saulat Jang's mismanagement and discontent among troops led to a revolt in Cuttack. In August 1741, Mirza Baqer Khan (son-in-law of Lutfullah Tabrizi), supported by Maratha mercenaries seized the city, captured Saulat Jang and his family, and briefly controlled Odisha, extending influence up to Midnapore and Hijli. Alivardi responded with a large army, crossing the Mahanadi River in December 1741. He routed Mirza Baqer's forces near Raipur, prompting their flight to the Deccan. Alivardi's generals subsequently rescued Saulat Jang unharmed from captivity. Alivardi remained in Odisha for three months to re-establish authority, appointing Shaikh Masum as deputy governor. This brief conflict solidified Alivardi's control over Odisha until sustained Maratha invasions beginning in 1742 forced him to cede the province in 1751.