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The Fear of #Bargis (1741 to 1751)
1. My search for the origin of a lullaby (लोरी) made me write this thread. In the 17th century Murshidabad and not Kolkata was the centre of power in Bengal. Sarfaraz Khan was the maternal grandson of Nawab Murshid Quli Khan..cont..2
1. My search for the origin of a lullaby (लोरी) made me write this thread. In the 17th century Murshidabad and not Kolkata was the centre of power in Bengal. Sarfaraz Khan was the maternal grandson of Nawab Murshid Quli Khan..cont..2
2. of Bengal (Bengal, Bihar and Orissa)and he bacame Nawab after his maternal grandfather’s death. Alivardi Khan (of Arab descent)the Nazim of Azimabad(Patna) was under Sarfaraz Khan. Alivardi secretly promised to pay the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah one crore rupees...cont..3
3. in exchange for him becoming Nawab of Bengal (which included Bengal,Bihar,Orissa) Alivardi Khan defeated and killed Sarfaraz Khan in the Battle of Giria and became the Nawab of Bengal (1740-1756) in April 1740. Shuja-ud-Din (Subhadar of Orissa) not only sheltered ..cont..4
4. but also employed & promoted Alivardi but such is their history(Aurangazeb had killed his brother Dara Shikoh and imprisoned his father Shahjahan) that Alivardi killed Shuja-ud-Din’s son Sarfaraz. Rustam Jung was the brother in law of Sarfaraz Khan. Rustam took the ..cont..5
5. help of Raghoji I Bhonsle, the Maratha ruler of Nagpur. Maratha cavalry called as ‘Bargi’ attacked Bengal six times in ten years from 1741 to 1751 just to plunder the rich country side. Alivardi’s soldiers were no match for the Maratha horsemen. The invasion was...cont..6
6. brutal & the local population was subject to atrocities. At that time Jagat Seth, the Marwari banker, was the richest man. Even his house was ransacked.The fear of the local population is expressed in a lullaby which I have heard as a child.
...cont..7
Pic is of Garh Panchkot
...cont..7
Pic is of Garh Panchkot
7. ছেলে ঘুমালো, পাড়া জুরালো বর্গী এলো দেশে
বুলবুলিতে ধান খেয়েছে, খাজনা দেবো কিসে?
The lullaby goes like:
Chhele ghumalo, paara juraalo bargi elo deshe
Bulbulite dhaan kheyechhe, khaajnaa debo kishe?
Dhaan phurolo, paan phurolo, khaajnaar opay ki?
.....cont..8
বুলবুলিতে ধান খেয়েছে, খাজনা দেবো কিসে?
The lullaby goes like:
Chhele ghumalo, paara juraalo bargi elo deshe
Bulbulite dhaan kheyechhe, khaajnaa debo kishe?
Dhaan phurolo, paan phurolo, khaajnaar opay ki?
.....cont..8
8. Aar kotaa din shobur koro, roshoon boonechhi
A simple translation of the above lines would be:
When the children fall asleep, silence sets in, the Bargis come to our country
Birds have eaten the grain, how shall I pay the tax (to the Bargi)?
All our food and drink is over,
A simple translation of the above lines would be:
When the children fall asleep, silence sets in, the Bargis come to our country
Birds have eaten the grain, how shall I pay the tax (to the Bargi)?
All our food and drink is over,
9. how shall I pay the tax? Wait for a few days, I have sown garlic.
(Credit- Soumyaseema Mandal)
The plunder of Bengal stopped after Alivardi Khan made peace with the Marathas by surrendering Orissa to them and also offering Rs. 32 lakhs as "chauth' for Bengal & Bihar.
(Credit- Soumyaseema Mandal)
The plunder of Bengal stopped after Alivardi Khan made peace with the Marathas by surrendering Orissa to them and also offering Rs. 32 lakhs as "chauth' for Bengal & Bihar.
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