Siege of Cuttack (1749)

01The march into Orissa

Orissa had been in Maratha hands since Raghuji Bhonsle’s men took Barabati in 1745. In March 1749 Alivardi left Murshidabad to win it back. Mutiny among his gunners held him at Burdwan, but at Midnapore his approach pushed Mir Habib, the Maratha commander, into retreat. Alivardi followed through Balasore, crossed the Vaitarani near Bhadrak and Jajpur, and came up to Cuttack in mid-May with only a small advance party ahead of his main army.

02A fort won and lost

The garrison of Barabati first offered terms, then held out. Alivardi sat down before the walls and after about fifteen days the fort surrendered. The monsoon was close, and he would not keep his army in Orissa through the rains. He left Abdus Subhan Khan as deputy governor and turned for home. He had reached only Balasore when news came that the Marathas were back, had wounded Abdus Subhan and taken Cuttack again.

Dynasty · c. 1739–1853 CEBhonsles of NagpurRaghuji Bhonsle, a kinsman of the Chhatrapatis’ clan, was sent to Berar by Shahu and made Nagpur the seat of the largest Maratha state in central India. His armies took Odisha from the Nawab of Bengal, and the house ruled until the British annexed Nagpur in 1853.Read →