ABSTRACT
In the year 1744, Anwaruddin Khan, who had no blood relationship with the previous Nawayat nawabs of Arcot and was a stranger to the Carnatic, was declared nawab of Arcot by Nazir Jung. The Christian population in Pondicherry grew slowly since the establishment of the French there in 1673–4. During Joseph Francois Dupleix’s period, the Superior of the Jesuits in Pondicherry was Father Coeurdoux. Dupleix had a very high opinion of his own values, language, religion and culture. He never learnt the Tamil or Bengali language or even Hindustani though he was in India for three decades. He never was interested in the Hindu religion and culture. Dupleix thought that the Muslim pulao was better than those of the Hindus. On 11 September 1750, Dupleix dispatched 500 Europeans and 1,200 sepoy troops under Captain Bussy and La Touche to capture the hill fort of Senji, located at 67 km to the north-west of Pondicherry, reputed to be impregnable.
