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Why was the Maratha Ditch built around part of Calcutta?
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Kolkata
Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata, India.
The Maratha Ditch was constructed in 1742 as a defensive measure to protect the settlement of Calcutta from potential attacks. During this period, Maratha forces from the southwest were conducting incursions against the Mughals in the western districts of Bengal.
To secure the town, the English East India Company obtained permission from the nawab of Bengal, AlÄ« VardÄ« Khan, to dig an entrenchment along the northern and eastern sides of the city. This excavation served as a moat on the landward side of the settlement. Although the project was never fully completed to the southern end, the ditch effectively established the cityās eastern boundary at that time.1