Bargi


Bargis were a category of Maratha Empire's troops who indulged in large scale plundering of the countryside of western part of Bengal for about ten years during the Maratha expeditions in Bengal. Maratha invasions took place almost as an annual event for 10 years.

Etymology

According to historian Nitish Sengupta, Bargi is a corruption of a Marathi word bargi, which denoted horsemen who were supplied with horses and weapons by the state, in contrast to shiledars, who brought their own.

History

became Nawab of Bengal in April 1740 by defeating and killing Sarfaraz Khan. His seizure of power was challenged by Sarfaraz Khan's brother-in-law Rustam Jung, who enlisted the backing of Raghoji I Bhonsle, the Maratha ruler of Nagpur. Historian Nitish Sengupta writes that in the ensuing campaign, the Marathas "discovered how easy it was to plunder Bengal's rich countryside through lightning raids". Maratha cavalry pillaged Bengal on being requested by Rustam Jung. In April 1742, they crossed the Damodar River at Panchet and began looting and burning.
For about ten years, the Bargis raided and plundered Bengal 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 plunder. Alivardi's soldiers could not match the Maratha horsemen in speed and maneuverability. Only the Ganges-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.

Impact

The repeated raids played on the creative impulse of the people.
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