211 
1883.] J. Bearnes —Notes on the History of northern Orissa. 
Midnapore and being unable to cope with them in the field proposed 
negociations. He invited to an entertainment Bhaskar Pant, Ali Karawal 
and the principal officers, and there murdered them. The army retreated 
in confusion through Balasore and were much harassed by the peasantry 
who maintained a guerrilla warfare and cut off all stragglers without 
mercy.* 
In 1745 Raghoji took his revenge. Marching down upon Cuttack 
in November, he overran the country probably as far as the Subanrekha, 
and refused to leave unless he was paid three krores of rupees. He then 
advanced to Katwa, but the indomitable Ali Verdi met him there and de¬ 
feated him, on which he returned to Berar without his money, but 
plundering as usual on the way. 
Raghoji was now, fortunately for Balasore and Orissa, engaged 
in wars and intrigues on his own side of the country for some time. In 
the immediately succeeding years he appears to have left Orissa pretty 
much to itself, though stray bands of Marathas made their appearance 
from time to time in 1748 and 1749 ; but in 1750 Janoji Bhonsla, son of 
old Raghoji, was sent into Orissa with Mir Habib and the two commenced 
their old system of plunder and extortion. In 1750 Ali Verdi lost all 
hope of resisting the marauders and gave up to them the whole province 
south of the Subanrekha as well as the Pargana of Pattaspur north of 
that river. The Marathas were to hold the province as security for the 
cliauth or tribute always claimed by them from conquered provinces. 
Stirling speaks of a second invasion which occurred in 1753, but 
this seems doubtful. At any rate it could not have been led by Janoji, 
for Raghoji died in that year, and Janoji was busy in securing his 
succession to the hereditary office of Sena Sahib or Oommander-in-Chief 
and was at Puna for that purpose during the greater part of the year. 
In the year 1751, during Janoji’s occupation of Orissa, the traitor 
Habib met his deserts. Janoji charged him with embezzlement and 
made him prisoner in his camp at Garhpada, a large and important village 
on the borders of Moharbhanj, 15 miles north of Balasore, and still the 
seat of a respectable family of zemindars. Habib was indignant at being 
confined, and with a few followers tried to escape, and the guards placed 
over him hacked him to pieces. The place, where his camp was pitched, 
is still known as Habibganj. It is a small bazar and village in Pargana 
Garhpada. 
There is nothing further at this period specially relating to 
Balasore. In 1755 the whole province was finally and conclusively made 
* One is glad to see the Oriya peasantry showing some little spirit on this occa¬ 
sion. It would have been better for them had they done so oftener. 
