Describing Babur as a “brutal and ruthless conqueror, slaughtering entire populations of cities”, Akbar’s reign as a “blend of brutality and tolerance”, and Aurangzeb who destroyed temples and gurdwaras, the NCERT’s new Class 8 Social Science textbook, which introduces students to the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals, points to “many instances of religious intolerance” during the period.
The NCERT says the rationale for including them has been explained in a “Note on Some Darker Periods in History” and one of the chapters in the book includes a cautionary note that “no one should be held responsible today for events of the past”.
Part 1 of the Social Science book for Class 8 — ‘Exploring Society: Indian and Beyond’ — was released this week for use in the ongoing academic session. Of the new NCERT books, this is the first to introduce students to the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals.
Although this period was introduced to students in Class 7 in earlier years, the NCERT says that the period of Indian history that will cover the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, and the Marathas will now only be dealt with in Class 8 in the new syllabus.
In the new book, the chapter covering Indian history from the 13th to the 17th century – ‘Reshaping India’s Political Map’ – spans the rise and fall of the Delhi Sultanate and resistance to it, the Vijayanagara Empire, the Mughals and the resistance to them, and the rise of the Sikhs.
It describes the Sultanate period as one marked by political instability and military campaigns that saw villages and cities being plundered and temples and seats of learning destroyed. The sections on the Sultanate and the Mughals contain multiple references to “attacks” on temples, and the “brutality” of some of the rulers, none of which are mentioned in the old Class 7 NCERT book that introduced students to this period of history.
These are some instances from the new book:
🔴 Alauddin Khilji’s General Malik Kafur “attacked a number of Hindu centres such as Srirangam, Madurai, Chidambaram, and possibly Rameswaram”.
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🔴 The Delhi Sultanate period witnessed “numerous attacks on sacred or revered images in Buddhist, Jain and Hindu temples; such destruction was motivated not just by plunder but also by iconoclasm”.
🔴 Referring to ‘jiziya’, a tax that some sultans imposed on non-Muslim subjects to grant them protection and exemption from military service, the book says that the tax was a source of public humiliation and formed a financial and social incentive for subjects to convert to Islam. In the old Class 7 book, ‘jiziya’ was described as tax paid by non-Muslims initially along with land tax, but later as a separate one.
🔴 On Babur, the first Mughal emperor, the book notes that his autobiography points to him as being cultured and intellectually curious. “But he was also a brutal and ruthless conqueror, slaughtering entire populations of cities, enslaving women and children, and taking pride in erecting ‘towers of skulls’ made from the slaughtered people of plundered cities.” In the old Class 7 book, Babur was only described as having been forced to leave his ancestral throne, seizing Kabul, and then Delhi and Agra.
🔴 It describes Akbar’s reign as being a “blend of brutality and tolerance”. When Akbar attacked the Rajput fort of Chittorgarh and “ordered the massacre of some 30,000 civilians”, he sent a message of victory which read: “We have succeeded in occupying a number of forts and towns belonging to the infidels and have established Islam there. With the help of our bloodthirsty sword, we have erased the signs of infidelity from their minds and have destroyed temples in those places and also all over Hindustan.” The book also notes that despite Akbar’s later tolerance for different faiths, “non-Muslims were kept in a minority in the higher echelons of the administration”.
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🔴 On Aurangzeb, the book points out that some scholars argue that his motives were primarily political, and they give examples of his grants and assurances of protection to temples. While politics played a part in his decisions, his farmans (edicts) “make his personal religious motive clear too.” He ordered governors of provinces to demolish schools and temples, and destroyed temples at Banaras, Mathura, Somnath, and Jain temples and Sikh gurdwaras.
The chapter also refers to the administrative framework under the Mughals and the Sultanate, the vibrant economic activity between the 13th and 17th centuries, and progress in infrastructure and cities, followed by a period of economic stress in the late 1600s. “Indian society showed adaptability and resilience in rebuilding towns, cities, temples, and other aspects of the economy,” it noted.
This chapter is followed by one on the Marathas, where Shivaji is referred to as a “master strategist and a true visionary”, and the Marathas are seen as having “contributed substantially to India’s cultural developments.” Shivaji was a devout Hindu who respected other religions while upholding his own, it said, adding that he rebuilt desecrated temples. The old book had said Shivaji laid the foundations of a strong Maratha state with an efficient administrative system.
The history section of the new book, which begins with the Delhi Sultanate and goes up to the colonial era, is preceded by a ‘note on history’s darker periods’. Referring to “darker” periods of history when war, abuse, fanaticism, and bloodshed dominate the landscape, the note explains that it is important to study darker developments dispassionately without blaming anyone living today for them.
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“Understanding the historical origin of cruel violence, abusive misrule or misplaced ambitions of power is the best way to heal the past and build a future where, hopefully, they will have no place,” the note states.
Similarly, after the section on the Mughal rulers, the book notes that “some of the invadrs and rulers mentioned above committed terrible deeds and atrocities,” but “it is important to keep in mind that we, today, bear no responsibility for actions of individuals hundreds of years ago”.
Asked for a response on the references to the attacks on temples and the “brutality” of some Mughal rulers, the NCERT said: “The events…(and many more) did happen and left their mark on Indian history; the rationale for including them has been explained in the ‘Note on Some Darker Periods in History’. The historical account given, while it does not sanitise history, is balanced and entirely evidence-based. Besides, in addition to the ‘Note on Some Darker Periods in History’, a cautionary note has been inserted in one of the chapters to make it clear that no one should be held responsible today for events of the past. The emphasis is on an honest approach to history with a view to drawing from it important lessons for a better future.”
“It is important to note that the new textbooks are expected to reflect the NEP 2020 and the NCF-SE 2023; they are based not only on a wholly new approach but also on a new syllabus, a new design and new pedagogical tools. Any comparison with the old syllabus and textbooks is therefore fruitless,” the NCERT said.
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NCERT has been bringing out new school textbooks in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023. New books for classes 1 to 4, and classes 6 and 7 have been released so far; books for classes 5 and 8 are now being made available.
In previous years, class 8 had three textbooks for Social Science — different books for history, social and political life, and geography. While Part 1 of the new book covers all three themes, Part 2 is expected to be available this year.
