Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c8.s7.1

v1.c8.s7.1

The Marātha Rājah, by following the jungle path, arrived near Murshidābād on 21st December, one day before Alivardi, who had marched by the regular military road. During that one day the Marāthas burnt the suburbs across the river opposite Murshidābād and many of the villages around, such as Jhapāidah and the garden of Mir Jafar. Raghuji remained in the south-west of the city for three or four days, but on Alivardi’s advancing, he fell back on Katwā. At the Rāni’s Tank, west of Katwā, a severe battle was fought, in which the Marāthas were defeated and driven back with heavy loss, their rear-guard was cut off and half their baggage plundered. Raghuji himself then went back to Nāgpur, leaving Mir Habib with 2 to 3 thousand Marāthas and 4 thousand Afghāns to continue the raid. [S. P. D., xxvii. 11; Siyar, ii. 153.] The Nawāb and his soldiers alike were worn out by their two hard campaigns in Bihār in the course of nine months, and had therefore to halt at Murshidābād to recuperate. No effective action could be taken against the Marāthas who maintained their camp at Katwā, while their detachments roamed all over West Bengal, and even threatened Murshidābād.