The Maratha Bargi Raids: Bengal's Countryside Engulfed

In the 1740s, Bengal was shattered by a series of devastating raids by Maratha horsemen known as the Bargi. Under the command of Raghuji Bhonsle of Nagpur, these light cavalry swept across the rice fields and villages of Bengal, looting, burning, and demanding exorbitant tribute. Nawab Alivardi Khan—the same ruler who had seized power in 1740—found himself fighting a desperate guerrilla war on his own soil. This episode unpacks the forgotten conflict that drained Bengal's treasury, depopulated vast regions, and set the stage for the political chaos that the British would later exploit. We explore the Bargi's tactics, Alivardi's shifting alliances, the brutal siege of Murshidabad, and the lasting scars left on Bengal's economy. A story of resilience, betrayal, and the cost of empire. #BargiRaids #MarathaInvasions #BengalHistory #AlivardiKhan #RaghujiBhonsle #Murshidabad #Hooghly #18thCentury #IndianHistory #SouthAsianHistory #WarsOfSuccession #Nagpur #Bargi #CavalryRaids #BengalFamine #ColonialIndia #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo