On 13 March 1743, the Peshwa was in the plains of Bengal at Beniagram, eighty-seven kilometres north of Murshidabad. From here, he came to Mankara, just ten kilometres south of the capital. Raghuji along with Bhaskarram camped at the town of Khatwa, not more than sixty kilometres south of the Peshwa on the western bank of the Bhagirathi.
Aliwardi did not have the resources to face either of the Maratha armies. He set out with his General Mustafa Khan to meet the Peshwa. Both met for seven days at Plassey from 31 March 1743.
Pilaji Jadhavrao was playing the role of a mediator on the campaign. Aliwardi Khan sent his Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Khan ahead to the Peshwa and agreed the arrangement for the meetings. Along with the Peshwa’s emissaries Gangadharrao and Amrutrao, Pilaji Jadhavrao first went and met Aliwardi Khan. Both sides vowed not to commit any betrayal. After this, Aliwardi Khan travelled to the town of Laavda, seven miles to the south of the Behrampur camp. The meetings were carried out with due celebrity in an especially erected camp on the west bank of the Bhagirathi near Plassey in between the camps of both the armies. At the time of the meeting, the Peshwa was accompanied by his Sardars like Malharrao Holkar, Pilaji Jadhavrao and many others.
The meetings went on amicably for a few days, and the Nawab agreed to pay Shahu the Chauth of Bengal, and in addition twenty-two lakh rupees to the Peshwa as campaign expenses. On his part, the Peshwa agreed to ensure Raghuji would not attack Bengal in the future. The Nawab hesitated initially to pay cash amount. But the Peshwa threatened that he would simply leave the way he had come without reining in Raghuji. The entire amount of twenty-two lakh rupees was insisted upon by Nanasaheb on the spot before any measures were taken against Raghuji. The amount was therefore paid.
While Aliwardi and Bengal were bracing for war, a Mughal newsletter of 21 April 1743 reported the Badshah’s routine in Delhi, “Two-and-a-half hours after dawn, he entered the Harem. From the Jharoka of Asad Burj, His Majesty beheld a wrestling match between an elephant named Padishah Inayet presented by the Mir Aatish and the elephant of Sher Jung. They fought well; Padishah Inayet defeated the elephant of Sher Jung. After looking at it, he retired at three-and-a-half hours from the morning. He said that the elephant of Sher Jung was approved and should be kept in the elephant stables.”
The court of Mohammedshah at Delhi received regular newsletters about the events in Bengal. On 25 April 1743, he received the news of the meeting between Aliwardi Khan and the Peshwa, while witnessing an exotic spectacle, “Qayam Jung brought before the Badshah a leopard, a horse and an elephant that used to fight together, also three pairs of bears, one goat, one ram, and one wild boar, after wrapping them in tiger skins, and made them fight the elephant. Some pairs of wild boars sent by Qayam Jung arrived; they were ordered to be brought to the foot of the Jharoka.”
The meeting (and the preliminaries) between the Peshwa and Aliwardi Khan was reported to Mohammedshah in a newsletter dated 26 April 1743. “Mahabat Jung, after marching from the neighbourhood of Amaniganj, at the distance of five kos, received the news that Balajirao had reached the bank of the Bhagirathi, five kos from the army of Mahabat Jung by successive marches. Pilaji Jadhavrao came and saw Mahabat Jung; they talked for two hours and oaths and assurances were exchanged, after which Pilaji took leave and departed. Mahabat Jung marched on and camped at Laavda, at a distance of three kos, from which the encampment of Balajirao was three kos distant. Mahabat Jung erected some tents midway and went to these tents for the interview. From the other side, Balajirao started with Pilaji Jadhav, Malhar Holkar, and other officers and 40,000 troopers. When he arrived near Daudpur, Mahabat Jung sent Ghulam Mustafa Khan in advance and rode out from the tents. Arriving opposite each other, they dismounted from their elephants, embraced, and sat down together in the tent. After conversation, Mahabat Jung sent away the Rao, presenting him with four elephants, two buffaloes and five horses.”
In this manner, the forty-year-old Badshah of Hindustan spent his waking hours diverting his mind from the affairs of the state. The final expulsion of Raghuji was reported to Mohammedshah four days later, on 29 April, “A letter from Balajirao was submitted through the Vazir, stating that – he had met Mahabat Jung and the two had marched in concert for punishing Raghuji, and many of the Captains accompanying Raghuji had separated from him and fought amongst themselves, many had been drowned in the river Ajay and that Balajirao and Mahabat Jung were pursuing.”
Further newsletters advised that, “Balajirao was heading the vanguard” and taking care in case Raghuji heads towards Patna or Gaya.
To be continued…
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