First Maratha invasion of Bengal
| First Maratha invasion of Bengal (1742) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Maratha invasions of Bengal | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Bengal Subah | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Alivardi Khan Shaikh Masum Khan † Mir Khairullah Khan Mustafa Khan Shamshir Khan Umar Khan Sardar Khan Raham Khan Musahib Khan † Saulat Jang Muhammad Raza (POW) Mahdi Nisar Khan Abdul Ali Khan Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan Saif Khan Mir Habib |
Raghoji I Bhonsle Bhaskar Pandit Shesh Rao | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
Total: 23,000–26,000
| 10,000 or 12,000 or 20,000 cavalry | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Heavy | Heavy | ||||||||
The First Maratha invasion of Bengal occurred in 1742, led by Bhaskar Pandit under the command of Raghuji Bhonsle, the Maratha ruler of Nagpur. The Marathas aimed to collect chauth and exploit Bengal's wealth, targeting regions like Burdwan, Katwa, Murshidabad, Nadia and Hooghly.
Following the Maratha invasion, Nawab Alivardi Khan took decisive steps to counter the Maratha raids and ultimately expel them from Bengal Subah's territory. Despite the retreat, the invasion devastated Bengal's economy, with contemporary accounts reporting widespread looting and civilian hardship.