Marxist to Hindutva: How NCERT history book rows mirror a battle for India’s past

The latest NCERT Class 9 social science textbook, Understanding Society – India and Beyond, has renewed debate over how medieval Indian history is presented in school textbooks. The new chapter places greater emphasis on resistance by local rulers against Delhi Sultans and the Mughals, while giving less attention to Mughal-Rajput alliances and the development of composite culture that featured more prominently in earlier textbooks.

Content

The release of a new NCERT Class 9 social science textbook has brought renewed attention to the long-running debate over how India’s past should be presented to school students.

The newly released textbook, Understanding Society – India and Beyond, takes a different approach to medieval Indian history in a chapter dealing with the Delhi Sultans and the Mughals. The chapter places particular emphasis on resistance offered by local rulers to what it describes as “foreign invaders”.

This approach marks a departure from the way medieval history had traditionally been presented in NCERT textbooks over several decades.

Earlier textbooks did not restrict the discussion of the medieval period to battles and conflicts. They also discussed instances of political cooperation between Mughal rulers and Hindu princes, including alliances between the Mughals and Rajputs. They additionally highlighted the development of a composite culture in India, shaped by the interaction of Indo-Islamic influences with existing traditions.

The new textbook, however, gives comparatively limited attention to these Mughal-Rajput alliances while placing greater focus on resistance.

A change in the presentation of medieval history

The change has become part of a wider discussion about the way history textbooks have evolved over different political periods.

Textbooks produced during the UPA period have faced criticism and revisions under the subsequent BJP-led governments. The broader debate has involved competing interpretations of India's past and disagreements over the role of historians associated with different ideological traditions.

The current controversy is therefore not simply about individual chapters or particular historical events. It also concerns the larger question of how school textbooks should select, organise and interpret historical material for younger readers.

The latest Class 9 textbook's treatment of the medieval period provides one example of this shift.

Instead of placing equal emphasis on conflict and cooperation, the chapter foregrounds resistance by local rulers against the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal powers. The portrayal gives particular prominence to resistance against rulers who are described as foreign invaders.

At the same time, the earlier emphasis on political alliances between Mughal rulers and Hindu princes receives less attention.

The question of Mughal-Rajput relations

Relations between Mughal rulers and Rajput rulers involved both conflict and political cooperation.

Earlier NCERT textbooks discussed this complexity as part of the broader political history of medieval India. Battles and resistance were included, but so were alliances and administrative relationships between different ruling groups.

The new textbook's comparatively limited treatment of these alliances has consequently become an important point in the debate over its historical framing.

The change matters because the way historical events are arranged in a textbook can influence how students understand a particular period.

If resistance receives greater prominence, students may encounter medieval political history primarily through the lens of conflict between local rulers and invading powers. If alliances, administrative cooperation and cultural exchanges receive greater attention, the same period can appear more politically complex.

The difference is therefore not necessarily about whether individual events occurred. It can also be about which events receive emphasis and how they are connected to one another.

Composite culture and historical interpretation

Earlier textbooks also discussed the emergence of a composite culture during the medieval period.

The idea of composite culture highlights the interaction of different cultural traditions over time. Indo-Islamic influences interacted with existing Indian traditions in areas such as architecture, language, art, music and social life.

The new presentation gives less space to this aspect compared with the earlier approach described in the report.

This has contributed to a broader discussion about whether the textbook is moving away from interpretations that emphasise cultural interaction and towards an account that gives greater prominence to political resistance.

The terminology used to describe historical actors is also significant. Describing Delhi Sultanate and Mughal rulers in the context of “foreign invaders” places greater emphasis on their origins and military expansion, while the older textbook approach could place greater emphasis on the political and cultural developments that occurred after their establishment in India.

Why NCERT textbooks matter

NCERT textbooks are widely used in schools across India and therefore play an important role in shaping how generations of students encounter the country's history.

Changes in textbook content can consequently attract considerable public and academic attention.

The debate becomes particularly significant when historical interpretation overlaps with contemporary ideological disagreements. Different groups may emphasise different aspects of India's past, including resistance, political alliances, cultural exchange, religious identities and the development of institutions.

The changes to the Class 9 textbook have therefore become part of a much larger argument over the interpretation of Indian history.

The central issue is not simply whether resistance against medieval rulers should be taught. Such conflicts are an established part of medieval Indian history. The question is how that history should be balanced with other documented developments, including alliances, political accommodation and cultural interaction.

From earlier textbooks to the new approach

The latest changes also need to be viewed in the context of previous revisions to NCERT history textbooks.

Textbooks prepared during different political administrations have themselves reflected debates among historians about how Indian history should be interpreted and taught.

The current phase has seen several changes to historical material, including deletions and replacements that have generated criticism from historians and political opponents of the government.

Supporters of curriculum revision have argued for correcting what they consider earlier imbalances in historical narratives. Critics, meanwhile, have questioned whether some revisions reduce the complexity of India's past by giving greater prominence to particular ideological interpretations.

The disagreement reflects a longstanding tension between different approaches to history writing.

One approach may emphasise social and cultural interaction, economic developments and political complexity. Another may place greater emphasis on civilisational identity, resistance and the experiences of communities and local rulers.

The latest Class 9 textbook has become a new point of discussion within this continuing debate.