Guide to Odishan Records (Set of 7 Volumes)

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The Indian Historical Records Commission and the Research and Publication Committee have recommended Publication of State records. Some States have already implemented the recommendation. In case of Orissa, for various difficulties relating to organisation of records in the State it had not been possible, so far, to undertake a regular publication programme. The Government have been pleased to take up reorganisation and improvement of the State Archives as an item of the Plan-projects of the State. In consequence, the State Archives is slowly expanding and it will be converted into a full-fledged one in near future. With increased facilities provided by the Government it has been possible to undertake a publication programme of the Orissa State Records. In the current year two volumes have been compiled and the present volume is the first of the series.

It deals with the available records of the Magistrate of Cuttack for the Years 1805-1814 A. D. comprising, in all, three volumes of correspondences issued. The receipts for those years are missing.

The volume has not been treated in any one of the present-day methods of dealing with the old records, like indexing calendaring or publication in extenso. All those three principles have been combined with a view to render the hook as self-contained as possible and to make it handy and useful to scholars, specially those who have little opportunity to visit the State Archives for consultation of the original records. In the Introduction, topics like the Anglo-Maratha relation from 1760 to 1802 A. D. the conquest of Orissa in 1803 A. D., the system of administration of justice under the Mughals and the Marathas and the evolution of the English judicial system have been discussed at some length to provide suitable historical back ground for the readers.

The facts contained in the volume will be found interesting to the Research Scholars dealing with History of Orissa in the Modern period and also to the administrators who can have an ides of the system of administration in the early stage of the British rule.

Relation between the English and the Bhonsle Chief of Berar 1760-1803 A.D. With the establishment of British power in Northern Sarkars and Bengal by 1760, Orissa assumed much strategical importance. It was like a wedge into the British possessions along the eastern coast of India. Movements of troops between northern and southern dominions of the British was not possible with Orissa remaining under the Maratha rule. Hence acquisition of Orissa constituted one of the main concerns of the British as early as 1760.

But this could not be achieved by force. With the liquidation of the French power in India the English had only one formidable rival, that is, the Marathas, to cope with. But any trial of strength with the Marathas when the British were yet to be firmly and securely established in their newly acquired dominions was out of question. But the question of acquisition of Orissa demanded immediate attention and solution for security of British possessions in Bengal and Northern Sarkars. In the circumstances the British authorities had to take recourse to diplomacy as the only means to achieve their end, that is, the acquisition of Orissa.

Thus, actual conquest of Orissa was, therefore, preceded by a period of diplomatic manoeuvres for its acquisition during the period from 1753 to 1790. When all the attempts in that line failed, it only remained to conquer Orissa by force.

According to the terins of the treaty of 1751 between Haidar Ali and Raghoji Bhousle, the former was to pay an amount of 12 lacs of rupees annually as Chauth to the latter on the condition that the Marathas should never set their feet in Bengal. By 1760, the stipulated Chauth was long outstanding. So, the Marathas pressed on the Nawab of Bengal for payment of outstanding Chauth. But the political set-up in Bengal had completely changed after the battle of Plassey. Nawab of Bengal was no longer the master of himself, he was a mere puppet in the hands of the English. So, when the Marathas pressed their demand for payment of Chauth in 1761, Mir Quasim was hardly in a position to meet it. He had been so completely fleeced by the English that his treasury was almost empty. The English with their characteristic cleverness tried at once to turn the helplessness of the Nawab to meet the Maratha demands to their best advantage. They wanted that the relation between the Nawab and Marathas should be so strained as to lead to an armed clash. In such a situation the English could acquire possession of Orissa indirectly through the Nawab, that is, if the Nawab could be persuaded to attack the Marathas with the English help and could conquer Orissa, it would amount to actual possession of Orissa by the English. Sheo Bhat, the most energetic and aggressive of the Maratha Governors of Orissa was at that time in charge of the affairs. He demanded payment of arrear Chauth, and when it was not heeded, he led an expedition into Midnapore in Feb. 1761. But he had to retire on the arrival of English forces.¹

The English were well aware of the strength of the Maratha force in Orissa and were not, in the least, perturbed by Sheo Bhata's threatening which, they knew, could hardly prove effective. They rather tried to impress upon the Nawab the benefit he would derive by acquisition of Orissa. So in Feb. 1762 the English Governor suggested to the Nawab the desirability of driving away Sheo Bhat from Cuttack and asked him to depute an officer of the court to act in conjunction with the English.

Mir Quasim had, by then, gathered enough experience to see through the British game. He knew it too well that each move on the part of the British was like a slowly approaching tentacle of an octapus. He was already feeling suffocated with the pressure being exerted on him. He dared not trend any more on the dangerous grounds. So, he replied that though he felt the necessity of doing away with the Maratha nuisance he was thinking of the pay The Nawab had already of the English troops to be employed for purpose." exhausted his treasury completely; that was not enough; so he had to convert the state jewels and plates into money to pay off the demands of English who were virtually bleeding him to death. So naturally be shirked from any further adventure.

But the English badly needed Orissa. The intercourse between their two kingdoms in the north and south of Orissa was dependent on the mercy of the Marathas. In the event of any emergency they would be much troubled for want of quick means of transport. So they did not give up hope. They took more positive attitude to rouse the Nawah to action and lure him to lead an expedition to Orissa. The Governor in his letter of the 2nd March 1762 wrote to the Nawab to the effect that he had ordered Mir Sayid Muhammad Khan to accompany the English troops with 1500 horse-soldiers for driving way the Marathas from Orissa. He further added that if any benefit accrued, the Nawab might bestow one or two organs as gratuity on the English. He further added that it was only for his solicitations for the good of the Nawab that he had proposed the step. It, of course, went without saying, he added, that the Nawab would pay the expenses involved including the pay of the English soldiers. The Nawab however was too wise to be drawn into what forbode further disaster for him without ensuring any benefit. So he coldly turned down the proposal; consequently, conquest of Orissa by the English had to be put off for some appropriate time in future:

Marathas were too weak to make a bold stand against the English. They alternately threatened and coaxed for realisation of their due but to no effect, Even Sivaram Bhatt who exhibited some spirit of firmness and aggran-disement proved ultimately to be a mere docile creature with little spirit of dash that was expected of him. When Mir Quasim was engaged in a life-and-death struggle against the English he sought help of Sheo Bhat and promised to pay off Maratha dues. In token of his good faith he sent Sanads granting Jaleswar and Midnapur to the Marathas. Sheo Bhat who had been threatening to invade Bengal off and on was expected to seize this unique opportunity to prove his mettle. But instead of coming forward to help Mir Quasim he offered to help the English who, however, informed him that they did not need his help. Such attitude is certainly incompatible with Sheo Bhat's known character but the records can not be disbelieved.