Latest / The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History / The Battle of Giria: Bengal's Civil War of 1740
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about the decline of Murshidabad after Plassey, and the Maratha raids that terrorized Bengal under Alivardi Khan. But there's a pivotal moment that comes just before all that — the moment Alivardi actually took power. It's a story of betrayal, a surprise cavalry charge, and a battle that effectively ended one dynasty and started another. Luna: Wait — are you talking about the battle where Alivardi overthrew Sarfaraz Khan? Lucas: Exactly — the Battle of Giria, fought on April 10, 1740, near the Bhagirathi River. Sarfaraz Khan was the Nawab of Bengal at the time, and Alivardi was his deputy — the naib nazim of Bihar. But there was bad blood between them, going back years. To understand why, we need to look at the previous Nawab, shuja ud din, who was Sarfaraz's father. shuja ud din had actually promoted Alivardi and his brother Haji Ahmad to high positions. But when Shuja died in 1739, Sarfaraz inherited the throne and immediately started sidelining his father's appointees. Luna: So Sarfaraz alienated the very people who could have supported him. Lucas: Right. And Alivardi was a seasoned military commander. He had served as the faujdar of various districts and knew the army well. He saw an opportunity. In early 1740, Alivardi marched from Bihar with a large force, claiming he was coming to pay homage to the new Nawab. But Sarfaraz wasn't fooled — he mobilized his own army and met Alivardi at Giria, a small village on the banks of the Bhagirathi. Luna: What was the battle actually like? Lucas: It was surprisingly short, but brutal. Both armies were large — perhaps 20,000 to 30,000 men on each side. Sarfaraz commanded the center, with his artillery and elephants. Alivardi used a classic tactic: he feigned a retreat, drawing Sarfaraz's forces forward, then unleashed a cavalry charge on his flank. The charge was led by Alivardi's general, Ghaus Khan, and it broke through Sarfaraz's lines. Sarfaraz himself was killed in the melee — according to some accounts, he was shot while trying to rally his troops. Luna: So in a single day, the Nasiri dynasty ended. Lucas: Yes. The Nasiri dynasty had been founded by Murshid Quli Khan, who had been the Nawab since 1717. Murshid Quli had no sons, so his son-in-law shuja ud din succeeded him, and then Shuja's son Sarfaraz. But within months of Sarfaraz's accession, Alivardi had wiped them out. He then declared himself Nawab and founded the Afshar dynasty — though it's often just called the Alivardi Khan dynasty. Interestingly, Alivardi wasn't even a noble from Bengal; he was of Turkic origin, from present-day Uzbekistan, and his family had served the Mughals. Luna: And the Jagat Seths — the famous banking family — they were involved in this, right? Lucas: Absolutely. The Jagat Seths, especially Jagat Seth Fateh Chand, were the financial kingmakers of Bengal. They had been supporters of shuja ud din, but when Sarfaraz took over, they sensed instability. Alivardi had been cultivating them for years. In fact, there's evidence that the Jagat Seths secretly funded Alivardi's coup, promising him financial backing in exchange for favorable treatment. After the battle, Alivardi confirmed their privileges and even appointed Jagat Seth's nominee as his diwan. Luna: So it was a classic alliance of military power and financial capital. Lucas: Exactly. But the coup had consequences. Alivardi was a capable ruler, but his usurpation set a precedent: that the Nawab's position could be taken by force. This weakened the legitimacy of the office. Also, Alivardi's reign was immediately plagued by the Maratha raids, which we covered in episode 74. The Marathas saw the instability as an opportunity to extract chauth. And then, of course, the British were watching — they learned that Bengal's rulers could be toppled with the right combination of money and military force. Luna: So the Battle of Giria indirectly paved the way for Plassey? Lucas: In a way, yes. The British saw how internal divisions made Bengal vulnerable. But directly, it was more immediate. After Giria, Alivardi spent years fighting off Maratha invasions. He was a skilled general, but the wars drained Bengal's treasury and devastated the countryside. By the time he died in 1756, the Nawab's military was exhausted. His successor, siraj ud daulah, inherited a weakened state — and we know how that ended. Luna: It's fascinating how one battle can set off a chain reaction. Lucas: And Giria is often forgotten because it's overshadowed by Plassey. But for contemporaries, it was a huge event. Contemporary Persian chronicles, like the 'tarikh i bangala' by Yusuf Ali, describe the battle in vivid detail — the dust, the elephants trumpeting, the chaos. And there's a poignant detail: after the battle, Alivardi ordered Sarfaraz's body to be buried with honor in Murshidabad. He didn't want to be seen as a usurper who desecrated his predecessor. But the message was clear: the old dynasty was gone. Luna: And that's the kind of detail that makes history feel real. Lucas: Before we go further, I want to mention something. You might have noticed that we're able to dive into these specific episodes because of a small group of listeners who support the show. We don't run ads, and we don't have a corporate sponsor. It's literally listener-funded through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That support allows us to spend time on these deeper stories rather than just the big headline events. Luna: Yeah, and it really makes a difference. Every contribution helps keep the research thorough and the episodes ad-free. Lucas: Absolutely. So if you've been getting something out of these conversations, consider chipping in. It's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. And thanks to those who already do — you make this possible. Now, back to Giria. One other interesting aspect is how Alivardi dealt with the Hindu zamindars after his coup. Luna: Oh? I thought Alivardi was known for being fairly tolerant. Lucas: He was, but pragmatically. He needed allies. After Giria, he immediately confirmed the positions of many Hindu zamindars who had supported him — like the Raja of Bardhaman. But he also crushed those who opposed him. For example, the zamindar of Birbhum, who had backed Sarfaraz, was executed. So Alivardi balanced coercion and conciliation. This was a pattern later adopted by the British — divide and rule, essentially. Luna: So the battle wasn't just a military event; it reshaped Bengal's political landscape. Lucas: Exactly. It ended one dynasty, started another, and set the stage for the Maratha invasions and the British takeover. And yet, if you walk today to the village of Giria, there's no monument, no marker — just fields and the river. History can be like that: the most pivotal events sometimes leave no trace on the ground. Luna: That's a sobering thought. Lucas: It is. But that's why we do these episodes — to remember the moments that shaped the world we live in. Next time, we'll look at how Alivardi actually fought the Marathas, because that story has some surprising twists.