Bargis were a light cavalry mercenary group of

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

's who indulged in large scale plundering of the countryside of western part of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

for about ten years (1741–1751) during the Maratha invasions of Bengal. Maratha invasions took place almost as an annual event for 10 years.

Etymology

According to historians the term ''Bargi'' comes from the Hindustani word ''bargi'', which described cavalry whose equipment and horses were provided by the government. The ''bargi'' were distinct from the '' shiledars'', who owned their equipment and horses. Bargi are also known as Jogi or Gosain in Eastern Bundelkhand region.

History

Alivardi Khan became Nawab of Bengal in April 1740 by defeating and killing

Sarfaraz Khan Sarfarāz Khān ( bn, সরফরাজ খান, fa, ; c. 1700 – 29 April 1740), born ''Mīrza Asadullāh'', was a Nawab of Bengal. Sarfaraz Khan's maternal grandfather, Nawab Murshid Quli Khan of Bengal (Bengal, Bihar and Orissa) nomin ...

. His seizure of power was challenged by Sarfaraz Khan's brother-in-law Rustam Jung, who enlisted the backing of

Raghoji I Bhonsle Raghoji Bhonsle or Raghoji I Bhonsale or Raghuji the Great (1695 – February 1755) of the Bhonsale dynasty, was a Maratha general who took control of the Nagpur Kingdom in east-central India during the reign of Shahu I. His successors rul ...

, the Maratha ruler of

Nagpur Nagpur (pronunciation: aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nagpur is projected to ...

. Historians writes that in the ensuing campaign, the Marathas "discovered the Bengal's rich countryside through lightning raids". Maratha cavalry pillaged the army of the Nawab on being requested by Rustam Jung. In April 1742, they crossed the Damodar River at Panchet and began looting and burning the army of the Nawab. The Maratha Ditch was built by the British

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sou ...

around Fort William to protect the city of

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

from the ruthless Bargi raids. For about ten years, the Bargis raided and plundered the army of the Nawab, every year. Contemporary sources describe the ineffectiveness of the nawab's army in the face of the Bargis' hit-and-run tactics. The raiders' aim was not battle or conquest, but to plunder the Nawab's territories. Alivardi's soldiers could not match the Maratha horsemen in speed and maneuverability. Only the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

- Bhagirathi river line restrained them. They crossed it to raid eastern Bengal only a few times. The Bargi invasions ended in May 1751 when the Nawab and the Marathas made peace. The Bargi remained in the cultural memory of the Bengali people in the form of songs and poems. One traditional song, translated, reads:

References

{{Reflist Bengal Subah Dhangar Looting

Etymology

History

See also

References