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Nawabs of Bengal
Kingdom
Level 2
★ Major power
1717 – 1765
Nawabdom of Murshid Quli Khan, Alivardi Khan and Siraj ud-Daulah.
- Capital
- Murshidabad
- Region
- East
- Duration
- 48 years
- Main period
- Maratha Empire & Regional Powers
Changing extent
- 1717 — ≈ 480,000 km²: Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
Approximate extent.
At a glance
Move along the chart to read any year; click a ruler or event to open the map there.
Rulers
- Murshid Quli Khan Nawab1717 – 1727Moved the capital to Murshidabad.
- Alivardi Khan Nawab1740 – 1756
- Siraj ud-Daulah Nawab1756 – 1757Defeated at Plassey.
- Mir Jafar Nawab1757 – 1760British-installed.
- Mir Qasim Nawab1760 – 1763Fought at Buxar.
Selected rulers; gaps in the list are not gaps in the dynasty.
Key events
| Year | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1742 | Maratha (Bargi) raids on Bengal | Murshidabad |
📚 Recommended reading on the Nawabs of Bengal
Textbook
Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.
Textbook
Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
Reference
The Marathas 1600–1818
How the Maratha state rose from Shivaji's swarajya to a subcontinental power.
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Contemporaries
Powers that coexisted with the Nawabs of Bengal for a significant part of its history. The bar shows when, within its own span.
Sultanate of the Maldives ★
Islands · c. 1153 – 1968
Overlap: 48 years
Malla Dynasty of Nepal ★
Himalaya · 1201 – 1769
Overlap: 48 years
Ahom Kingdom ★
Northeast · 1228 – 1826
Overlap: 48 years
Mewar (Sisodia) ★
West · 1326 – 1949
Overlap: 48 years
Kingdom of Mysore ★
South · 1399 – 1950
Overlap: 48 years
Kingdom of Kandy ★
Sri Lanka · c. 1469 – 1815
Overlap: 48 years
Portuguese Estado da Índia ★
Coastal · 1505 – 1961
Overlap: 48 years
Mughal Empire ★
North · 1526 – 1857
Overlap: 48 years
British East India Company ★
Pan-Indian · 1600 – 1858
Overlap: 48 years
Maratha Empire ★
Deccan · 1674 – 1818
Overlap: 48 years
Hyderabad State (Nizams) ★
Deccan · 1724 – 1948
Overlap: 41 years
Zamorins of Calicut
South · c. 1124 – 1766
Overlap: 48 years
Kachwahas of Amber (Jaipur)
West · c. 1128 – 1949
Overlap: 48 years
Marwar (Rathore)
West · c. 1226 – 1949
Overlap: 48 years
Koch Kingdom (Kamata / Cooch Behar)
Northeast · 1515 – 1949
Overlap: 48 years
Madurai Nayaks
South · 1529 – 1736
Overlap: 19 years
Portuguese Bassein & Bombay
Coastal · 1534 – 1739
Overlap: 22 years
Portuguese Diu
Coastal · 1535 – 1961
Overlap: 48 years
Portuguese Daman
Coastal · 1559 – 1961
Overlap: 48 years
Gorkha Kingdom
Himalaya · 1559 – 1768
Overlap: 48 years
Dutch East India Company (VOC) in India
Coastal · 1605 – 1825
Overlap: 48 years
Dutch Coromandel (Pulicat)
Coastal · 1610 – 1825
Overlap: 48 years
Bhutan under the Zhabdrung (Druk Desi)
Himalaya · 1616 – 1907
Overlap: 48 years
Danish India
Coastal · 1620 – 1869
Overlap: 48 years
Danish Tranquebar
Coastal · 1620 – 1845
Overlap: 48 years
Fort St George, Madras
Coastal · 1639 – 1858
Overlap: 48 years
Dutch Chinsurah
Coastal · 1656 – 1825
Overlap: 48 years
Dutch Ceylon
Sri Lanka · 1658 – 1796
Overlap: 48 years
Dutch Malabar (Cochin)
Coastal · 1663 – 1795
Overlap: 48 years
French India
Coastal · 1668 – 1954
Overlap: 48 years
Bombay (English East India Company)
Coastal · 1668 – 1858
Overlap: 48 years
Chandernagore
Coastal · 1673 – 1950
Overlap: 48 years
Pondichéry
Coastal · 1674 – 1954
Overlap: 48 years
Carnatic (Nawabs of Arcot)
South · 1692 – 1855
Overlap: 48 years
Hotak Dynasty
Northwest · 1709 – 1738
Overlap: 21 years
Gaekwad State (Baroda)
West · 1721 – 1949
Overlap: 44 years
Rohilkhand
Gangetic Plain · 1721 – 1774
Overlap: 44 years
Mahé
Coastal · 1721 – 1954
Overlap: 44 years
Jat Kingdom of Bharatpur
North · 1722 – 1947
Overlap: 43 years
Awadh (Nawabs of Oudh)
Gangetic Plain · 1722 – 1856
Overlap: 43 years