Battle of Jagdishpur (1745)
| Battle of Jagdishpur | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Afghan insurrections in Bengal Subah | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Bengal Subah | Afghan rebels | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan Shah Din Muhammad Raham Khan Ruleha Raja Kirat Chand Ahmad Khan Qureshi Daud Khan † Khadem Husain Khan (WIA) Mahdi Nisar Khan Naqi Ali Khan Shah Jahan Yar Raja Sundar Singh Raham Khan Ruhela Karam Khan Raja Ram Narain Hashim Ali Khan |
Mustafa Khan † Murtaza Khan | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 13,000–14,000[2] |
18,000 cavalry 15,000 infantry[3] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
Battle at Jagdishpur Location within Bihar Battle at Jagdishpur Battle at Jagdishpur (India) | |||||||
The Battle of Jagdishpur was a decisive engagement in 1745 during the Afghan insurrections in Bengal (1745–1748), pitting the forces of the Nawab of Bengal, Zain-ud-Din Ahmed Khan, against the Afghan rebel Mustafa Khan. Depleted by his failed Patna campaign, Mustafa Khan led another attempt to capture the Bihar province. In a fierce battle near Jagdishpur, Mustafa Khan was shot dead by musket fire; his head was severed and displayed on a spear atop his elephant, causing the Afghan army to flee under his son Murtaza.
Background
Following Mustafa Khan's defeat at the battle of Patna, determined to capture Bihar, decided to assault once more time. He promptly repaired his artillery and arms and recruited fresh troops from various regions.[4] Within three months, before the rains began, he assembled an army of 18,000 cavalry and 15,000 infantry.[3]
Mustafa Khan left Chunar before the monsoon of 1745, entered Shahabad, and allied with zamindar Udwant Singh Ujjainia of Jagdishpur, who had been hostile to Zain-ud-Din.[5]
Battle
On June 2, 1745, Zain-ud-Din promptly departed from Patna at the head of an army of 13,000–14,000 men,[2] accompanied by generals like Shah Din Muhammad, Raham Khan Ruleha and others. They then forded the Sone River at Koilwar, and next day advanced 12 miles south-west by south to Karhani (in Shahabad) on the edge of the jungle of Jagdishpur. Two miles beyond this village the enemy were sighted and the battle joined on June 20, 1745.[6]
Mustafa's forces and equipment had been severely depleted due to his financial exhaustion following the failed Patna campaign, which had consumed his treasury.[7] Raja Kyretchand,[a] mounted on an elephant, commanded the right flank of Zain ud-Din's army with 5,000 cavalry and several thousand infantry, reinforced by Ahmad Khan Qureshi and Jaswantnagar with their troops. Mustafa Khan chased and routed Zain ud-Din's vanguard under Kirat Chand, killing Daud Khan and several young soldiers. Khadem Husain Khan was also wounded. Mustafa Khan seized his guns.[9]
Mustafa Khan launched a desperate charge at Zain-ud-Din. Abdul Ali Khan resolved to make a bold stand once more. He was soon reinforced by Mahdi Nisar Khan, Naqi Ali Khan, Shah Jahan Yar, Raja Sundar Singh, Raham Khan Ruhela, Karam Khan, and Raja Ram Narain, and advanced to oppose Mustafa Khan.[10]
Mustafa routed the Nawab's vanguard; however, he was immediately struck by a musket ball on his chest and lost his consciousness. He soon regained his senses and renewed his charge against Zain ud-Din. Under the order of Zain ud-Din, Hashim Ali Khan mounted the rebel leader's elephant, beheaded Mustafa Khan, and displayed his head on a spear. The Afghan seeing their general's death collapsed into flight. Rajah Kirat Chand pursued the Afghan soldiers to their camp and captured their tents, horses and baggages. The Afghans retreated to the village of Magror[b] under the command of Mustafa's son, Murtaza Khan, and the surviving officers.[11]
Aftermath
Mustafa Khan's decapitated body was taken to Patna, and was dissected into two halves. The bisected body was hung at the city's western and eastern gates before burial in Sher Shah's mosque compound, on Zainuddin's orders.[12] This battle decisively ended first Afghan insurrection in Bengal. Zain ud-Din emerging victorious returned to Patna. The news of victory reached to Alivardi.[1] In the meantime, Raghuji Bhonsle had invaded Odisha, and captured Cuttack with its governor Durlabhram.[13]
See also
Notes
- ^ Spelled Kirat Chand[8]
- ^ 14 miles west of Chainpur, Saharsa, Bihar on the bank of the Karmanasa River
References
- ^ a b Datta 1939, p. 129 "Thus the first Afghan insurrection was fully suppressed and Zainuddin returned triumphantly to Patna."
Thakur 1958, p. 386 "The first Afghan insurrection was thus thoroughly suppressed and Zainuddin triumphantly returned to Patna. He reported about his victory to Alivardi" - ^ a b Sarkar 1964, p. 72 "Zain-ud-din promptly issued from Patna at the head of 13,000 men "
Datta 1939, p. 128 "Zainuddin started from Patna on the 2nd June, 1743, at the head of 13,000 or 14,000 soldiers." - ^ a b Datta 1939, p. 127 "In course of three months, before the rains set in, he [Mustafa Khan] had been able to assemble a large army of 18,000 cavalry and 15,000 infantry."
- ^ Datta 1939, p. 127
- ^ Sarkar 1964, p. 73
Thakur 1958, p. 385 - ^ Sarkar 1964, p. 72
Datta 1939, p. 128 - ^ Sarkar 1964, p. 72
- ^ Thakur 1958, p. 385.
- ^ Datta 1939, p. 128
Thakur 1958, p. 385 - ^ Datta 1939, p. 129
- ^ Sarkar 1964, p. 72
Datta 1939, p. 129
Thakur 1958, p. 386 - ^ Datta 1939, p. 129
- ^ Sarkar 1943, p. 462
Bibliography
- Datta, Kalikinkar (1939). Alivardi and His Times. University of Calcutta.
- Sarkar, Jadunath (1964). Fall Of The Mughal Empire 1739-1754. Vol. I (3rd ed.). Orient Longman Ltd.
- Sarkar, Jadunath (1943). The History of Bengal. Vol. II. Ramna, Dhaka: The University of Dhaka.
- Thakur, Upendra (1958). "Alivardi and the Afghans of Tirhut". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 21: 376–392. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44145227.
- Datta, K. K. (1978). "Bengal Subah (1707-1756)". In Banerjee, A.C.; Ghase, D. K. (eds.). A Comprehensive History of India: 1712-1772, edited by A. C. Banerjee and D. K. Ghase. People's Publishing House.