Afghan insurrections in Bengal
| Afghan Insurrections in Bengal | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The city of Azimabad (Patna), an important stronghold for Afghans in the Bengal Subah | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Maratha Empire | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
|
| ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
|
| ||||||||
The Afghan insurrections in Bengal,[1] also known as the Afghan mutinies[2] were a series of four revolts led by the Afghans living in the Bengal Subah between 1745-1750. They were led by ambitious individuals like Mustafa Khan, Sardar Khan and Shamshir Khan with the intent to carve out their own Afghan state in Bengal.[3] The insurrections were ultimately suppressed.
Background
[edit]During the 17th and early 18th centuries, waves of Afghan immigration into Northern India replaced the earlier Afghan settlers, also known as Indo-Afghans, in Allahabad, Darbhanga, Orissa, and Sylhet.[4] In several locations, these Afghan explorers were hired by the military as mercenaries or retainers. They established principalities and zones of influence in a few locations, including Tirhut (Darbhanga and Hajipur), Rohilkhand, Farrukhabad, and others.[4] They possessed exceptional fighting skills and a talent for military planning. Alivardi Khan, the Nawab of Bengal, gained great help from the Afghans of Tirhut and Bihar throughout his time as the Naib nazim of Bihar (1733-1740 CE) and the first four years of his rule as the Nawab of Bengal (1740–44 CE). When Alivardi took over as Naib nazim, the entire province of Bihar was in disarray.[5]
The majority of the Zamindars had turned unruly and rebellious, and the area had become the target of the evil deeds of a group of nomadic individuals known as the Banjaras, who used to pillage the Imperial estates and valuables while posing as travelers and traders.[6] Alivardi bolstered his army and restored order in an effort to stop the Banjara threat. Abdul Karim Khan, a strong Afghan leader who commanded 1500 Darbhanga Afghans, was accepted into his service. And it was because of these courageous Afghans that Alivardi overcame the turbulent Banjaras and took an enormous sum of booty from them.[5] After the Banjaras, the province's refractory zamindars, including the Rajas of Bettia, Bhanwarah (or Bhawrah, a Mahal under Sarkar Tirhut), Bhojpur, Raja Sunder Singh of Tekari, and Kamgar Khan Main of Narhat Samai, were subdued by Alivardi with the help of Abdul Karim Khan.[5] Alivardi Khan then turned towards the Chakwars, a powerful tribe with their stronghold situated in Begusarai, Bihar. The tribe was quickly subdued and made to pay an annual tribute to the Nawab of Bengal.[7] It was during the subduing of the Tekari Raj where Mustafa Khan, a general of the Tekari Raj would be taken into the service of Alivardi Khan. According to the Muzaffarnama, with each passing day Mustafa Khan received such promotion that he reached the highest rank and became the master of 4000 troops with the title of Babar Jang.[8]
First Afghan Insurrection (1745)
[edit]Prelude
[edit]
Mustafa Khan, also known as Babar Jang, an object of envy due to his elevated position, greatest rank, and authority, according to. Dissatisfied with his rise to power, Shamshir Khan and Sardar Khan surreptitiously tricked him. They pushed him to remove Haibat Jang (Zainuddin Ahmad Khan) from Patna or Azimabad in order to obtain the deputy governorship of Bihar. In order to "unify all the Afghan Sardars together and remove Alivardi from the governorship," he drafted a manifest (Mahazar) and started persuading the Afghan generals to sign it.[9] When Shamshir Khan and Sardar Khan brought him the manifest so he could seal it and share the administration Umar Khan, out of a sense of duty, tore up the paper and began insulting the Afghans. In order to prevent Alivardi's wrath Shamshir Khan and Sardar Khan returned to their homes in quiet. Their true goal, to discredit Mustafa Khan, was not accomplished.[9]
This shift in Mustafa Khan's perspective was also somewhat Alivardi's responsibility. He had offered him the position of deputy governor of Bihar in exchange for killing Bhaskar Pandit, the Maratha general, during a time of extreme need. After the assignment was finished, Mustafa Khan demanded that the commitment be kept. However, Alivardi avoided its fulfillment, and wished to silence him by filling him with distinctions, softening him with kind words, and ease his resentment with a respectful attitude. The general finally lost all patience and spoke candidly after being fed with 'todays' and 'tomorrows' for several months.[10]
Invasion of Patna
[edit]
Upon mustering a force of 9000 Afghan horsemen and a powerful batch of infantry, Mustafa Khan pressed his demands for deputy governship of Bihar and for his payment for killing Bhaskar Pandit.[11] Alivardi Khan immediately paid the arrear of his soldiers which amounted to 17 lakhs of rupees through the Jagat Seth family.[12] Mustafa Khan now unlikely of receiving help from other Afghans in the region, discarded his original plan in Murshidabad and headed for Patna to take it by force from Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan. He headed to Patna in February 1745 with 15,000 cavalry and Alivardi Khan in hot pursuit.[13] Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan the governor of Patna received word of Mustafa Khan's plans and immediately assembled his army and called out upon brave men to come to his side and join to fight. With the help of local nobles, zamindars and commanders he was prepared to face Mustafa's army.[14]
Siege of Mongyhr
[edit]
Mustafa Khan ravaged, pillaged, and destroyed cities, villages, and other locations along the way. He also forcibly grabbed some weaponry and continued to march. He intended to capture it when he got to Monghyr. The Qiladar, or officer-in-charge, Hassan Beg Khan, presented resistance. Despite fierce bombardment from the fort, Mustafa's soldiers advanced to the wall, entered, and seized it.[15] The Qiladar was imprisoned together with his three sons. Mustafa's own brother, Abdul Rasool Khan, was killed by a stone thrown from the fort when he was sitting on his elephant at the base of the fort during the attack.[14]
After the siege of Mongyhr Mustafa Khan made his way towards Patna (Azimabad) where his army and Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan's army ensued into battle. Beginning on Thursday 18th of Safar, 1158 A.H (14th March 1745), it lasted a week. While Mustafa Khan had initial success the tide turned to favor Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan, resulting in Mustafa being badly defeated.[16] Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan returned to his tent to offer a prayer to God.[17]
Battle at the banks of the river Sone
[edit]
After being defeated by Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan, Mustafa Khan fled after being expelled. However, Mustafa's unwavering spirit remained unabated after his expulsion. Four months later, he gathered another army and gained much more authority. Following this, he formed an alliance with some Shahabad zamindars and marched once more in the direction of Bihar with his son Murtaza Khan and additional individuals.[18] He first arrived in the Shahabad district, where Zainuddin encountered hostility from the zamindars, particularly Udawant Singh Ujjainia of Jagdishpur. Additionally, Zainuddin marched from Azimabad and made his way to Karhani (near Shahabad). Two miles past the town of Karhani, the Afghans had already reached their destination.[18]
The two armies converged on the Son River. A fierce conflict broke out on June 20, 1745.[19] Even with the intense barrage of fire from his muskets and artillery, Zainuddin's ranks were shattered. Following a fierce pursuit, Mustafa forced Kirat Chand, the leader of Zainuddin's army, to flee the battlefield. Khadim Hussain Khan, the darogha of the Khas-bardars (orters of the monarchs' own weapons), was mortally wounded after Baud Khan was killed and fell from his horse. There was a great deal of confusion. Mustafa advanced, dispersing his adversary's ranks and seizing multiple firearms and other munitions. The army of Zainuddin was disoriented. However, another Zainuddin army commander, Abdul Ali Khan, made a daring stand. Mustafa was getting close to Zainuddin when all of a sudden a musket round went into his chest. His mahut (elephant-driver) led his elephant out of the pasture while he was in a state of confusion. After regaining consciousness, he went back to the battlefield and forced Zainuddin into a difficult situation. This time, he was fought by Mahdi Nisar Khan, Abdul Ali Khan, Karam Khan, and Raham Khan. Mustafa was eventually killed as Zainuddin fired two arrows into his side. His passing totally demoralised, fractured, and devastated the Afghan army causing the withdrawal and defeat of the Afghans.[19]
List of Conflicts
[edit]| Name of Conflict | Part of | Location | Year | Belligerents | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengal | Afghans and allied forces | |||||
| Seige of Monghyr | First Afghan Insurrection | Munger Fort | 1745 |  Nawabs of Bengal
|
Afghans of Bihar
|
Afghan Victory[15]
|
| Invasion of Patna | Azimabad (Patna) | 1745 | Nawabs of Bengal
|
Afghans of Bihar
|
Bengali Victory[16]
| |
| Battle at the banks of the river Sone | Sone River | 1745 | Nawabs of Bengal
|
Afghans of Bihar
|
Bengali Victory[19]
| |
| Second Afghan Insurrection | Second Afghan Insurrection | Bihar | 1746 | Nawabs of Bengal
|
Afghans of Bihar | Bengali Victory |
| Battle of Rani Sarai | Third Afghan Insurrection
--------------------- Maratha invasion of Bengal |
Kaladiara, Bihar | 1748 | Nawabs of Bengal
|
Afghans of Bihar | Bengali Victory[20][21]
|
| 4th Afghan Insurrection | 4th Afghan Insurrection | Bihar | 1750 | Nawabs of Bengal
|
Afghans of Bihar | Bengali Victory[3] |
See Also
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Datta 1939, p. 141.
- ^ Sarkar 1964, p. 17.
- ^ a b Shah 2012.
- ^ a b Sarkar 1964, p. 43-45.
- ^ a b c Thakur 1958, p. 877.
- ^ Datta 1939, p. 12.
- ^ Thakur 1958, p. 879.
- ^ Thakur 1958, p. 878.
- ^ a b Thakur 1958, p. 881.
- ^ Datta 1939, p. 120-122.
- ^ Khan, p. 440.
- ^ Khan, p. 443.
- ^ Thakur 1958, p. 882.
- ^ a b Khan, p. 447-53.
- ^ a b Thakur 1958, p. 883.
- ^ a b Thakur 1958, p. 884.
- ^ Datta 1939, p. 126.
- ^ a b Thakur 1958, p. 885.
- ^ a b c Datta 1939, p. 128.
- ^ Banerjee 1978, p. 187.
- ^ Bengal Nawabs 1985, p. 133-135.
References
[edit]- Thakur, Upendra (1958). "Alivardi and the Afghans of Tirhut". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 21. JSTOR 44145227. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- Datta, K. (1939). Alivardi and His Times. University of Calcutta. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- Banerjee, A.C (1978). Banerjee, A. C.; Ghase, D. K. (eds.). A Comprehensive History of India: 1712-1772. India: People's Publishing House. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- Bengal Nawābs, Containing Āzād-āl-Husaini's Naubahār-i-Murshid Quli Khāni, Karam ʻAli's Muzaffarnamah, and Yusuf ʻAli's Āhwāl-i-Mahābat Jang. India: Asiatic Society. 1985. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- Roy, Kaushik (2009). The Oxford Companion to Modern Warfare in India: From the Eighteenth Century to Present Times. India: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- Augustus, Frederick (1850). The Emperor Akbar (PDF). Vol. 1. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- Mishra, Shree Govind (1970). History of Bihar, 1740-1772. India: Munshiram Manoharlal. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- The Journal of the Bihar Research Society. India: Bihar Research Society. 1977. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- Majumdar, Ramesh (1943). Ed. (ed.). History of Bengal. Vol. 2. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- Gadre, Prabhakar (1994). Bhosle of Nagpur and East India Company. India: Publication Scheme. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- Sarkar, Jadunath (1964). Fall of the Mughal Empire. Vol. 1. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- Sarkar, Jagadish Narayan (1976). A Study of Eighteenth Century India. Vol. 1. Calcutta: Saraswat Library. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- "Munger - Historical Pointers". Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- Shah, Mohammad (2012). "Alivardi Khan". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- Khan, Ghulam Hussein. Siyar Al-Mutakherin. Vol. 1.
- A. C., Banerjee (1978). A Comprehensive History of India: 1712-1772. People's Publishing House.
- Bengal Nawabs (1985). Bengal Nawābs, Containing Āzād-āl-Husaini's Naubahār-i-Murshid Quli Khāni, Karam ʻAli's Muzaffarnamah, and Yusuf ʻAli's Āhwāl-i-Mahābat Jang. Asiatic Society.