History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c41.131

Language: English

v2.c41.131.1

Inspite of that rebuff Bhavānī Pandit writes again on the 9th November that he has incurred heavy expenses on account of his being detained by the rains and he has kept the troops quiet with very great difficulty. He will depart on the 2nd of October but is awaiting the Governor's reply and hopes that the latter will assist him in realising the *chauth*. A reply sent on the same day informs Bhavānī Pandit of the great English victory at Baksar.³ Bhavānī Pandit's congratulations on the victory were received on the 24th November and in this letter the latter informs the Governor that the zamindars of Betagarah and Rāmpur have been reduced to submission and the latter was now marching against the rebellious zamindars of Hariharpur and other places. This letter is dated the 16th November and was received in Calcutta within eight days, showing the regularity of the English postal service between Madras and Calcutta. Another letter from the same person received on the 2nd December throws interesting light on the history of the internal administration of Orissa during the Maratha rule. Bhavānī Pandit says that at the time of Śivarām Bhaṭṭa's dismissal the zamindar of Dhenkanal murdered the Maratha general Buli Khān, who was an adopted son of Śivarām Bhaṭṭa. He naw intends to camp in the vicinity of Dhenkanal in order to punish that chief.

v2.c41.131.2

The same letter informs the Governor that during the rebellion of Śivarām Bhaṭṭa the chiefs of Mayurbhañja and Nilgiri entered into conspiracy with Śivarām Bhaṭṭa's younger brother Bhāskar Pandit and plundered the districts around Balasore. Bhāskar Pandit, the former *Faujdār* of Balasore, was greatly in arrears but he fled with these Rājas and was still in Nilgiri. Bhavānī Pandit now intends to chastise these two chiefs also.¹ A letter written by Bhavānī Pandit to Mr. Vansittart was received by the acting Governor Mr. John Spencer on the 15th of December and in this communication it is stated that the Maratha army will not proceed any further. It is the intention of Bhavānī Pandit to punish the Rājas of Hariharpur and Nilgiri. The frontiers of Hariharpur or Mayurbhañja adjoin those of Jaleswar and it is more probable that false representations have been made to the Governor regarding the depredations made by Maratha subjects in British territory. On the 16th of December a letter was addressed to Bhavānī Pandit requesting him to issue strict orders to prevent stragglers from entering British territory.

v2.c41.131.3

On the next day another letter was issued to Nawāb Mīr Ja'afar 'Alī Khān to send 1,000 of his horse to Birbhum in order to co-operate with the English troops in Medinipur and Burdwan to act against the Marathas who were massed on the frontier.¹ On December 18th another letter was addressed to Bhavānī Pandit cautioning him against the trespass of his troops into British territory.² A letter received from Bhavānī on the 27th of the same month contained an assurance to the effect that he had come to these parts to chastise rebellious zamindars and not to make war upon the English. Bhavānī Pandit had heard that the Muṭaṣaddis of the Nawāb had come to an agreement regarding chauth with the Maratha envoy Raghunāth Pandit. Another letter received two days later repeated the assurance.³ A long letter received on the 23rd of December discloses the fact that the Nawāb Mīr Ja'afar'Alī and his Dīwān Rāja Durlabhrām promised to pay the chauth by bills to Jānujī and in addition to pay a certain amount to Bhavānī Pandit for his own expenses. In this letter the latter castigates the Christians severely for their breaches of promise. Similar castigations are to be found in many of the letters of Jānujī written in later times.⁴ Mīr Ja'afar'Alī went to render an account of his misdeeds to his creator in February, 1765, and the correspondence grows less interesting and voluminous.

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A letter was received from Bhavānī Pandit on the 23rd of June in which the latter professed friendship and sent a letter from Muḥammad Yār Khān, a confederate of Mīrza Muḥammad Ṣaliḥ, of the Army of Mulhār Rāo Hoḷkar, regarding a joint attack on Bengal.⁵ Raghunāth Pandit stayed in Calcutta and This image is blank. There is no text to transcribe.