The Afghans led by Mustafa Khan began to fight back. The battle was fierce and soon the Marathas formed in one group and attacked their flank. The Nawab’s army became a compact body and moved slowly away from their week-long besieged camp. They suffered for want of food and shelter with rain pouring down on them, and they did not have a vessel or utensil to have water or food. The Siyar reports, “All the artillery, small and large, being lost, and the enemy constantly hovering around them, only at so much distance as could insure their not being hit by a wall piece (a type of smooth-bore gun used in the 18th century for defence), ‘nothing could be procured on any terms’, and Mustafa Khan angered at the timidity of his men said, ‘What a shame to the Muslim religion, and what a disgrace to the Afghan name, that the vilest of those Deccanese should surround and press you on all sides day and night. And that instead of advancing upon those infidels, and seeking for a prompt delivery amongst them, you should suffer yourselves to be consumed by famine and by a lingering death!’”
Mustafa Khan’s men told him that they would follow, if he would lead, and then Mustafa Khan took his sabre and his bucler, and advanced little by little. The Marathas were not expecting an attack “from the famished wretches, and were all naked, had laid down their arms and clothes and were preparing for their devotions and their victuals… Mustafa Khan rushed upon those proud infidels, they killed so many of them, that the others fled, leaving their kettles of fire and bags full of grain…”
The Marathas then grew cautious, and a day later, at dawn, suddenly attacked and penetrated the entire camp. A free-for-all battle ensued until two elephants that rode before the Nawab’s beast began to rampage wildly, pushing back the Maratha attack. The Nawab, after three days of slow progress, finally reached the town of Khatwa, still two days away from the safety of Murshidabad. Yusuf Khan, who was there, has mentioned in his memoires of the three days spent to reach Khatwa, “All he (Mustafa) could do was procure about three quarts of a Sher of Khichadi, and this fare was shared between seven noblemen accustomed to all the delicacies of a plentiful table… the rest of the army crammed themselves with leaves and barks of tree, with ants and with such other food.”
However, their hopes of getting food at Khatwa were belied, as the Marathas had burnt every granary and carried away whatever they could. The starving army found only “half burnt and half parched grain.”
The Riyaz-us-Salatin says of Aliwardi’s predicament, “Mahabat Jung’s (Aliwardi) army marched towards Khatwa, and in a short interval by forced marches reached (outskirts of) Khatwa. The light Maratha cavalry, however, covered forty Karoh (Kos?) a day, and thus before Mahabat Jung’s arrival at Khatwa, they had already burnt down its fields, farms, granaries, and reduced them to ashes. The army of Mahabat Jung now being reduced in a state of despair sent up to the skies, wails, similar to the following,
We never get relief from distress;
To whatever country we roam,
We see the sky alone.”
Aliwardi sent urgent messages to his brother Haji Ahmed at Murshidabad to send provisions and relief for his army. An army was thus dispatched with provisions for the Nawab.
Aliwardi’s escape to Khatwa annoyed Bhaskarram. He abandoned his quest for Chauth, which was nor forthcoming, and his armies began to plunder the villages. People from all ‘thirty-six varnas’ fled the villages. When people on the road asked all who passed where the Bargis were, everyone replied, “I have not seen them with my own eyes. But seeing everyone flee, I flee also.”
There are descriptions of Bargis surrounding people in the fields, taking their gold and silver, cutting off their noses and ears. “The Bargis did many foul and bestial things to the women and then let them go,” says Gangaram in his poem.
Practically all the villages and cities to the west of the Bhagirathi – or Hooghly – were burnt or plundered.
The rainy season was now upon them; it was the time when the Marathas usually returned to their native places. However, Mir Habib, who was in the Maratha camp advised against it and volunteered to lead a sudden attack on the defenceless capital of Murshidabad.
Mir Habib selected seven hundred agile Maratha cavalrymen, crossed the river and attacked Murshidabad on 6 May 1742, riding through ‘rains and thunder’, while Haji Ahmed hid himself in the fort. The town was given up to plunder. The house of Jagat Seth, Aalam Chand, Murad Ali Khan, Raja Durlabhrai etc. were looted, taking away all the ‘Arcot rupees’ in horse-fodder bags amounting to two crore rupees. Mir Habib’s brother, who was in the city, was taken away to safety with his family and treasure. The Maratha horse and cattle fed on ‘mulberry plantations and thereby irreparably damaged the silk manufacture.’ They then re-crossed the river and settled around the cities of Khatwa, Bhausinghbera and Dainhat.
To be continued…
NDHistories 