Bengal Territorial Disputes & Dattaji Shinde's Northern Assignment (1758-1759)

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The Bengal Problem: Territorial Disputes

Historical Background

The Delineation (1743):

• Chhatrapati Shahu mediated a division of territories
• Created clear boundaries between:
  • Peshwa's sphere (western and northern regions)
  • Raghuji Bhosle's sphere (eastern regions, including Bengal)
• This agreement lasted about 20 years peacefully

Why Bengal Was Valuable

Geographic Importance:

• Ganga River flows all the way through Bengal
• Empties into the Bay of Bengal near Kolkata (capital of Bengal)
• Extremely fertile Gangetic plains
• Rich agricultural output
• Wealthy province with good tax base

The Source of Conflict

Raghuji Bhosle's Operations:

• Bhaskar Ram Kolhatkar = Raghuji Bhosle's able commander
• Invaded Bengal multiple times to collect tribute
• Extracted payments from Ali Vardi Khan (Mughal Subedar of Bengal)
• This was Raghuji's exclusive territory per the 1743 agreement

Why Peshwa Now Wants Bengal:

• The Peshwa kept his end of the bargain initially
• Maintained good relations with Raghuji Bhosle
• BUT financial pressures are mounting
• The Peshwa is desperate for revenue

Ali Vardi Khan's Death:

• When he died, his son took over as Subedar
• The son was "no good" - ineffective ruler
• This created instability in Bengal
• Eventually British defeated this son and took control of Bengal
  • This was the first time British gained control of a major Indian province

The Financial Crisis Driving Everything

Nana Saheb Peshwa's Debt Problem

The Mounting Crisis:

• Described as "consumption" (like tuberculosis) - eating away at finances
• Much debt inherited from his father, Bajirao I
• Northern expeditions giving diminishing returns
• Abdali's raids had left northern territories barren of wealth

The Vicious Cycle:

1. Peshwa borrows money to send armies north
2. Armies go north, fight, expand territory
3. Armies return with INCREASED debt (expenses > revenue collected)
4. Peshwa now in worse financial position
5. MUST find new revenue sources or face bankruptcy

Why Northern Campaigns Failed Financially:

• Abdali had already looted much of the north
• The prosperous areas had been stripped
• Local rulers couldn't pay promised tributes
• Maintaining armies in hostile territory was expensive
• Long supply lines drained resources

Raghunath Rao's Second Northern Campaign

The Attock Achievement

Attock (Atak):

• Town at the far northwestern frontier of Mughal Empire
• Today located in Afghanistan
• Considered beyond realm of possibility for Maratha armies
• Too far north and west for any previous Maratha expedition

The Question in Chapter Title:

• "Atak - beyond conception?" (with question mark)
• Asking: Is reaching Atak too far-fetched?
• The answer: They actually did it!

Raghunath Rao's Campaign (1758):

• Sent north by Nana Saheb Peshwa (second time)
• Took control of Lahore
• Pushed forces even beyond Lahore to northwest
• Reached Attock - unprecedented achievement
• Greatest territorial extent of Maratha power in the north

Military Achievement vs. Financial Reality:

The Military Victory:

• Raghunath Rao was proud of the accomplishment
• Maratha army had gone where "nobody could ever imagine"
• Reached the literal edge of the empire

The Financial Disaster:

• Came back with INCREASED debt
• Instead of paying back loans, he took on MORE loans
• Nana Saheb Peshwa was furious
• "I don't give a shit if you went to the end of the earth - I need MONEY"

Nana Saheb: The Hard Realist

His Position:

• He was a "good accountant"
• Understood the business of running an empire
• Could not continue operations that lost money
• "What was the point of all this expansion?"

The Problem:

• Raghunath Rao went north with an army of ~100,000 people
• Nana Saheb had to take out loans to fund this
• Expected Raghunath Rao to collect enough tribute to pay back loans + profit
• Instead: Army returned, debt had INCREASED
• Nana Saheb: "Pretty soon I will be bankrupt!"

Why Raghunath Rao Failed Administratively

The Shivaji Standard

What Shivaji Would Have Done:

• After conquering territory, immediately set up administrative structures
• Establish defensive forces to hold the territory
• Put governing mechanisms in place
• Make sure areas don't revert back to enemy control
• Ensure tax collection systems are functioning

What Raghunath Rao Did:

• Swept through Punjab
• Reached Attock
• Just came back without establishing anything
• Left territories in disarray
• No defensive mechanisms in place
• No administrative government units
• No tax collection infrastructure

The Consequences:

• Enemy could easily return
• No wealth being generated from conquered territories
• Abdali's forces could march right back in
• All that military effort was essentially wasted
• No long-term strategic value

Three Objectives for Dattaji Shinde

Why Dattaji Was Chosen

Nana Saheb's Reasoning:

1. Highly capable military commander
2. Gets things done - completes assigned tasks
3. Honest - won't engage in corruption
4. Won't use "Machiavellian schemes"
5. Won't try to enrich himself at Peshwa's expense
6. Trusted completely by Nana Saheb

Character Description:

• Well-built, sturdy physique
• "A little bit brownish" (darker complexion, not fair-skinned)
• Would finish tasks assigned by Peshwa "in an honest and proper way"
• Known as reliable and ethical

The Three-Part Mission

OBJECTIVE 1: Collect Dues from Rajasthan

The Situation:

• Rajput kingdoms (Jaipur, Udaipur, etc.) had agreed to pay annual tributes
• They had pledged huge amounts over 5-10 year periods
• They were consistently unable to pay
• Mountains of unpaid debt accumulated

The Mission:

• Act as a "collection agency"
• Modern equivalent: Tax collectors/debt collectors
• "I don't care how you do it, but get our dues"
• Use military pressure if necessary

OBJECTIVE 2: Establish Permanent Maratha Presence in North

The Problem Raghunath Rao Created:

• Conquered territories but didn't secure them
• No administrative structures left behind
• No defensive forces stationed
• Territory vulnerable to reconquest

The Solution:

• Station a permanent, powerful Maratha army in the north
• Create fear in the minds of enemies
• Ensure someone of "high caliber" is always present
• Put proper defensive mechanisms in place

Why Dattaji?

• Malhar Rao and Raghunath Rao had said: "We're not settling there forever"
• They wanted to eventually return home
• Need someone willing to stay long-term
• Dattaji was that person

OBJECTIVE 3: Invade Bengal for Revenue

The Best Hope:

• Peshwa knew Bihar and Bengal were best hope for retiring debt
• These provinces had NOT been looted by Abdali
• Still wealthy and prosperous
• Good agricultural output, functioning economy

The Problem:

• 1743 agreement with Raghuji Bhosle said Bengal was OFF LIMITS
• But Nana Saheb was desperate
• His position: "I don't care about that old consensus anymore"

The Calculation:

• Nana Saheb thought he could negotiate new arrangement with Bhosle family
• Raghuji Bhosle was dead by this point
• Succession battle between sons was happening
• Peshwa thought: "We can take advantage of that chaos"
• Maybe strike a deal with one of the sons
• Or just ignore the old agreement entirely

The Distance Challenge:

• Bengal is very far east
• Punjab is very far west
• Distance between the two: at least 2,000 kilometers
• This is a "tall task" even for capable Dattaji
• Managing both fronts simultaneously would be incredibly difficult

Strategic Complexity

The Sequential Plan

BEFORE invading Bengal, Dattaji needed to:

1. Ensure security of Punjab

   • Prevent Abdali invasion
   • Maintain defensive positions

2. Secure/neutralize Najeeb Khan Rohila

   • Deal with this persistent troublemaker
   • Eliminate threat in Rohilkhand

3. Take control of Doab region

   • The fertile land between Ganga and Yamuna rivers
   • Strategic central position

4. Cross through friendly Shuja-ud-Daula's Awadh

   • Need cooperation of Awadh's Subedar
   • Avoid hostile territory while moving east

5. Take Patna (in Bihar)

   • Major city, gateway to Bengal
   • Establish base before pushing into Bengal proper

The River Problem

Major Obstacle:

• Had to cross several major rivers while moving army east
• No bridges existed in those days
• Army included horses, cannons, sometimes elephants
• Crossing rivers with full military equipment was "a tall order"
• Timing had to coincide with low water levels
• Monsoon season made this impossible

The Supremacy Moment (Late 1758)

Maratha Peak Power

The Situation:

• Marathas were supreme in the north in late 1758
• Only thing remaining: Secure Bengal
• If Bengal fell, entire subcontinent would be under Maratha control/influence
• This was the closest they came to total dominance

The Reality Check:

• Even with Raghuji Bhosle collecting tributes from Bengal
• There was no direct control over Bengal
• Raghuji was just collecting money, not ruling
• Peshwa wanted actual administrative control
• Full incorporation into Peshwa's sphere

Adina Beg's Invitation (1758)

The Punjab Opening

Who Was Adina Beg:

• Appointed as new Subedar of Punjab by Raghunath Rao
• Was supposed to handle Punjab administration
• Create stability in the region

What Happened:

• Adina Beg DIED (shortly after appointment)
• This left Punjab without strong leadership
• Created power vacuum
• Made Punjab vulnerable again

The Invitation:

• Before dying, Adina Beg had invited Marathas to help secure Punjab
• This invitation was used as justification
• Raghunath Rao and Malhar Rao decided to go to Punjab in response
• But timing got complicated with Adina Beg's death

Timeline of Dattaji's Movements

The Marwad Campaign (1756)

February 1756:

• Dattaji campaigned in Marwad (Rajasthan province)
• Taking revenge for Vijay Singh's actions
• Vijay Singh had caused the death of Dattaji's elder brother Jayapa
• After completing this revenge mission, returned to Pune

Staying in Pune (1758)

October 1758:

• Raghunath Rao and Malhar Rao were sent north (second northern expedition)
• Dattaji did NOT accompany them this time
• He stayed in Pune after returning from Marwad
• Got married around this time (1758)

Going North (Late 1758/Early 1759)

When Raghunath Rao and Malhar Rao returned:

• They came back from the Attock expedition
• They had achieved tremendous territorial expansion
• But created huge financial problems
• Made clear they wouldn't stay in north permanently

Nana Saheb's Decision:

• Realized need for permanent high-caliber presence in north
• Someone who would "create fear in minds of enemies"
• Someone willing to be stationed there long-term
• Chose Dattaji Shinde and Jankoji

Key Personalities

Geographic Context

Key Locations:

• Bengal - Far eastern province, wealthy, contested territory
• Bihar - Province west of Bengal, also wealthy
• Patna - Major city in Bihar, gateway to Bengal
• Punjab - Northwestern province, under constant Afghan threat
• Attock (Atak) - Far northwestern frontier town
• Lahore - Punjab capital
• Awadh - Province ruled by Shuja-ud-Daula, between Delhi and Bengal
• Doab - Region between Ganga and Yamuna rivers
• Marwad - Province in Rajasthan where Dattaji campaigned
• Pune - Maratha capital, Peshwa's base

Major Themes

1. Financial Desperation

The Peshwa's crushing debt was driving all strategic decisions. Glory meant nothing without revenue.

2. The Administration Gap

Military conquest without administrative follow-through was worthless. Raghunath Rao learned this the hard way.

3. Breaking Old Agreements

Financial pressure forced Peshwa to consider violating the 1743 Bengal agreement with Raghuji Bhosle.

4. The Trust Factor

Nana Saheb needed someone he could trust completely - that was Dattaji. Honesty and reliability mattered more than brilliance.

5. Overextension Problem

The distance between Punjab (west) and Bengal (east) - 2,000 km - made simultaneous control nearly impossible.

What's at Stake

If Dattaji Succeeds:

• Collect desperately needed revenue from Rajasthan
• Secure permanent Maratha presence in north
• Potentially gain control of Bengal's wealth
• Save Peshwa from bankruptcy
• Complete Maratha control over entire subcontinent

If Dattaji Fails:

• Peshwa faces financial collapse
• Northern territories revert to enemy control
• Bengal remains independent
• Maratha expansion halts or reverses
• Empire unsustainable

The Irony

Late 1758 = Peak of Maratha Power:

• Supreme in the north
• Only Bengal remaining for total subcontinent control
• Closer than ever to complete dominance

BUT:

• Financially on the edge of bankruptcy
• Overextended across vast territories
• Dependent on single honest commander (Dattaji) to save everything
• One wrong move could collapse the whole structure

The Marathas stand at their greatest territorial extent and their most precarious financial position simultaneously. Everything now depends on Dattaji Shinde - can one honest, capable commander solve the crushing debt, secure two thousand kilometers of hostile territory, and potentially conquer the richest province in India? The empire's survival hangs in the balance.