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| Afghan Insurrections in Bengal | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The city ofAzimabad (Patna), an important stronghold for Afghans in theBengal Subah | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Nawabs of Bengal | Afghans rebels | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Alivardi Khan Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan Hassan Beg Khan (POW) Sayeed Ahmad Khan Mir Jafar Khan Haider Ali Khan Fakhrullah Beg Khan Nurullah Beg Khan Umar Khan Fateh Rao | Mustafa Khan † Abdul Rasul Khan † Sardar Khan Shamshir Khan | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Patna: 14,000 Jagdishpur: 13,000–14,000 | Patna: 20,000 Jagdishpur: 18,000 cavalry; 15,000 infantry | ||||||||
TheAfghan insurrections in Bengal,[1] were a series of revolts led by the Afghans living in theBengal Subah between 1745 and 1748. 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.
During the 17th and early 18th centuries, waves of Afghan immigration into Northern India replaced the earlier Afghan settlers, also known as Indo-Afghans, inAllahabad,Darbhanga,Orissa, andSylhet.[4] In several locations, these Afghan explorers were hired by the military asmercenaries or retainers. They established principalities and zones of influence in a few locations, includingTirhut (Darbhanga andHajipur),Rohilkhand,Farrukhabad, and others.[4] They possessed exceptional fighting skills and a talent for military planning.Alivardi Khan, theNawab of Bengal, gained great help from the Afghans ofTirhut andBihar throughout his time as theNaib nazim ofBihar (1733-1740 CE) and the first four years of his rule as theNawab of Bengal (1740–44 CE). When Alivardi took over asNaib nazim, the entire province ofBihar was in disarray.[5]
The majority of theZamindars had turned unruly and rebellious, and the area had become the target of the evil deeds of a group of nomadic individuals known as theBanjaras, who used to pillage the Imperial estates and valuables while posing as travelers and traders.[citation needed]Alivardi bolstered his army and restored order in an effort to stop theBanjara threat. Abdul Karim Khan, a strong Afghan leader who commanded 1,500Darbhanga 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 ofBettia, Bhanwarah (or Bhawrah, a Mahal under Sarkar Tirhut),Bhojpur,Raja Sunder Singh of Tekari, andKamgar Khan Main of Narhat Samai, were subdued by Alivardi with the help of Abdul Karim Khan.[5]Alivardi Khan then turned towards theChakwars, a powerful tribe with their stronghold situated inBegusarai,Bihar. The tribe was quickly subdued and made to pay an annual tribute to theNawab of Bengal.[6] It was during the subduing of theTekari Raj where Mustafa Khan, a general of the Tekari Raj would be taken into the service ofAlivardi 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 ofBabar Jang.[7]
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) fromAzimabad (Patna) in order to obtain the deputy governorship ofBihar. 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.[8] 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.[8]
This shift in Mustafa Khan's perspective was also somewhatAlivardi's responsibility. He had offered him the position of deputy governor ofBihar in exchange for killingBhaskar 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.[9]
Upon mustering a force of 9,000 Afghan horsemen and a powerful batch of infantry, Mustafa Khan pressed his demands for deputy governship ofBihar and for his payment for killingBhaskar Pandit.Alivardi Khan immediately paid the arrear of his soldiers which amounted to 17 lakhs of rupees through theJagat Seth family. Mustafa Khan now unlikely of receiving help from other Afghans in the region, discarded his original plan inMurshidabad and headed forPatna to take it by force fromZain ud-Din Ahmed Khan.[10] He headed to Patna in February 1745 with 15,000 cavalry andAlivardi Khan in hot pursuit.[11]Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan the governor ofPatna 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.[citation needed]
Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan had a force of 14,000 troopers while Mustafa Khan lead an army of 20,000.[12]
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 toMonghyr. 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. The Qiladar was imprisoned together with his three sons. Mustafa's own brother, Abdul Rasul 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.[13]
After the siege ofMongyhr Mustafa Khan made his way towardsPatna (Azimabad) where his army andZain ud-Din Ahmed Khan's army ensued into battle. Beginning on 14 March 1745, the conflicts lasted a week. While Mustafa Khan had initial success the tide turned to favorZain ud-Din Ahmed Khan, resulting in Mustafa being badly defeated.[14]
Being defeated byZain ud-Din Ahmed Khan, Mustafa Khan fled after being expelled. Four months later, Mustafa Khan assembled an army of 18,000 cavalry and 15,000 infantry,[15] allied withShahabad zamindars, and marched once more in the direction of Bihar with his son Murtaza Khan and additional individuals.[16] Zain-ud-Din had himself with 13,000–14,000 soldiers.[17] He defeated the Afghans atJagdishpur on 20 June 1745, killing Mustafa Khan; his son Murtaza fled to Magror. As punishment for their intrigue with Maratha chiefRaghuji Bhonsle during hisSeptember 1745 Bihar invasion, Alivardi dismissed all Afghans from service in June 1746. Thereafter they returned to their homes inDarbhanga.[18]
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| Name of Conflict | Part of | Location | Year | Belligerents | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengal Subah | Afghans and allied forces | |||||
| Siege of Monghyr | First Afghan Insurrection | Munger Fort | 1745 | Nawabs of Bengal | Afghans of Bihar
| Afghan victory[13]
|
| Battle of Patna (1745) | Azimabad (Patna) | 1745 | Nawabs of Bengal | Afghans of Bihar
| Bengal Subah victory[14]
| |
| Battle of Jagdishpur (1745) | Jagdishpur | 1745 | Nawabs of Bengal | Afghans of Bihar
| Bengal Subah victory[19]
| |
| Battle of Rani Sarai | Second Afghan Insurrection & Maratha invasions of Bengal | Kaladiara,Bihar | 1748 | Nawabs of Bengal | Afghans of Bihar | Bengal Subah victory[20]
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