Fourth Maratha invasion of Bengal
| Fourth Maratha invasion of Bengal | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Maratha invasions of Bengal and Afghan insurrections in Bengal Subah | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Bengal Subah | Afghan rebels | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Alivardi Khan Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan Mir Abdul Aziz Dost Muhammad Khan Ataullah Khan Fakhrullah Beg Khan |
Raghoji I (WIA) Mir Habib Mustafa Khan (WIA) Buland Khan Ruhela Abdul Rasul Khan † Janoji I | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
Barabati: 400 Naubatpur: 14,000–20,000 Bhagalpur: 600 Cuttack: 7,000–8,000 cavalry and 12,000 infantry |
Barabati: 14,000–20,000 cavalry 25,000 infantry 300 guns Naubatpur: 12,000 Bhagalpur: 5,000–6,000 Cuttack: 8,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Heavy | Heavy | ||||||||
The Fourth Maratha Invasion of Bengal in 1745 was a military campaign led by the Maratha general Raghuji Bhonsle against the Nawab of Bengal, Alivardi Khan, in retaliation for the assassination of the Maratha general Bhaskar Ram Kolhatkar. Launched amid internal rebellions within the Bengal Subah, the invasion saw Maratha forces penetrate deep into Bengal and temporarily seize control of Orissa.
Despite initial setbacks, Alivardi Khan's personal intervention and strategic appointments ultimately contained the Maratha advance, though Orissa remained contested into 1747. Raghuji, incensed by the killing of Bhaskar, exploited a rebellion by Alivardi's Afghan general Mustafa Khan to invade Bengal territories. Maratha troops entered Orissa in March 1745, subduing the region before advancing to the vicinity of Calcutta in May, Burdwan in June, and Birbhum in July. By the end of the rainy season, Raghuji marched toward Bihar, linking up with remnants of Mustafa Khan's defeated Afghan forces, who had retreated to the hills near Chainpur and Sasaram following Mustafa's death in battle near Jagdishpur on 20 June 1745.Indecisive clashes ensued across Bihar and Bengal, culminating in Raghuji's defeat near Katwa in December 1745, forcing his retreat to Nagpur. Scattered Maratha detachments persisted in plundering western Bengal, while Orissa fell under the effective control of Mir Habib, a Maratha ally.
Determined to reclaim Orissa, Alivardi appointed Mir Jafar as deputy governor of the province and faujdar of Midnapore and Hijli. Mir Jafar departed Murshidabad in November 1746 and defeated Mir Habib's lieutenant Sayyid Nur near Midnapore. However, reinforcements under Janoji Bhonsle (Raghuji's son), combined with the treason of Mir Jafar and Ataullah Khan, stalled Bengal's recovery efforts. Undeterred despite his advanced age, Alivardi led an army personally against the Marathas. In a fiercely contested battle near Burdwan, the invaders were routed and fled to Midnapore. Alivardi withdrew to his capital to avoid the monsoon, allowing Maratha influence to resurge in Orissa up to Midnapore by 1747.