Durlabhram had been captured and sent to Nagpur the previous year and his ransom was fixed at seven lakh rupees. Since the Nawab refused to pay such a large sum, Durlabhram remained a prisoner. A year later, his father Janakiram began negotiations with Raghuji and finally, a ransom of three lakh rupees was agreed and Durlabhram was released.
The Marathas captured the Odisha province and installed Mir Habib there. Due to this, the Nawab’s enemy had been made his neighbour, and his power began to wane. Meanwhile, the Peshwa’s emissaries arrived at his court to demand the Chauth for Patna. The Badshah himself sent a Firman to the Nawab, that the Chauth rights have been handed over to the Shrimant. He had also dispatched the said grant notifications to Shrimant. Now the authority for Patna and Bengal lay with the Peshwa. This way, the Nawab already had a threat in the person of Raghuji, now the Peshwa became another. Mir Habib sent urgent requests to Raghuji for additional forces. But, because of monetary difficulties, these could not be sent to him in 1746. The Peshwa recognised this and in August 1746 wrote to Ramchandrababa, who was with the Shinde forces near Gadha, “Raghuji Bhosale has returned to Nagpur defeated. His debtors are in an uproar. He might come to Satara, but the fear that Shahu might ask for money may preclude such a visit. You should remain in Gadhamandala in such a manner that he is not able to go towards Patna. Rajashree Swami has dispatched Vishwanath Vaidya to bring him here. Mostly, he would come for the meeting.”
The competition between the Peshwa and Raghuji had not ended and Nanasaheb wished to ensure that his supremacy was recognised among all the Maratha Sardars. At this time, Raghuji finally reconciled to the Peshwa’s authority. A letter of September 1746 to the Peshwa says, “At Khatwad, Raghuji made this servant sit with him for a while. He said, ‘For me, the Peshwa is as much my master as the Maharaj. I have no other thought in my mind. The Shrimant ought to take service from us. Earlier late Rau also had his grace on us. It was Aavji Kavde’s attack on Berar that brought on his displeasure. The Shrimant is now in place of Rau. All events of the past should be forgotten and we should be taken under his grace.’”
Raghuji did not return to Bengal in 1746. The Nawab used this respite to bolster his finances by extorting money from the people. A French report says, “The Nawab subjected the province to so much tyranny that the European settlers regretted the absence of the Marathas.”
The annual Maratha invasions into Bengal continued so long as Aliwardi refused to accept the Maratha demand for Chauth. Mir Habib with six or seven thousand men fought a roving battle with the Nawab. Odisha remained under him while he made inroads into areas near Kolkata. However, Aliwardi did not budge from Murshidabad.
Raghuji was still strapped for funds and could not send any relief to Mir Habib. By the end of 1746, Mir Jafar began for Odisha. Mir Habib took position near Balasore. Towards the end of that year, Raghuji dispatched his son Janoji for what was their fifth invasion in five years. The British at Kolkata wrote to the Court of Directors, “A body of Marathas have continued at Midnapur under the command of Mir Habib.”
Janoji arrived at Cuttack in the month of January 1747. The Maratha advance under him made Mir Jafar retreat in panic and his army lost some elephants and baggage. Mir Jafar, as a result, was suspected of being disloyal and dismissed from his post. Once again, Aliwardi led an army to Burdwan, but the Maratha army bypassed him and headed for Murshidabad. As Aliwardi came towards his capital, they returned to Medinipur. Odisha also could not be taken back from the Marathas.
This way, the struggle between both these parties went extending, and there was no conclusive outcome. The Nawab kept getting weaker. Mir Jafar etc. secretly conspired once to kill the Nawab, but did not succeed. The Nawab spent his elder years harassed due to internal family dissensions, displeased officials, and miserable subjects. In Bihar, a new eruption spelt trouble for Aliwardi. The Pathans led by their chief Shamsher Khan rebelled in 1747, and in the ensuing battle Haji Ahmed and his son Zainuddin were both defeated. In captivity, they were tortured to disclose their hidden treasure, and then killed. Aliwardi, saddened by his brother’s death, once again led an army to Bihar the following year. In the interim, Janoji Bhosale reached Murshidabad and looted British ships carrying silk from Qasim Bazar to Patna on the Ganga. Amin Chand, a Sikh trader, was sent to negotiate for the return of goods, but Janoji replied that he was too busy to discuss matters as he was heading for an expedition towards Bihar. The British then protested and the Governor at Bombay wrote to Shahu on their behalf. Shahu, who was unwell at the time, is not known to have sent a reply.
To be continued…
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