Class 8 NCERT Social Science Book Highlights Mughal ‘Brutality’, Adds No-Blame Disclaimer

This is the first time the new NCERT Class 8 textbook — titled ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond’ — introduces students to the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire, scroll down for more details.

The new NCERT Social Science textbook for Class 8 describes parts of the Mughal period as harsh and intolerant. It calls Babur a “brutal and ruthless conqueror” who killed entire city populations, while Akbar’s rule is described as a mix of “brutality and tolerance.” The book also mentions that Aurangzeb destroyed temples and gurdwaras, pointing to several examples of religious intolerance during that time. However, the book also includes a special note explaining why these events are being discussed. It says that history should be understood in context and that no one today should be blamed for what happened in the past.

This is the first time the new NCERT Class 8 textbook — titled ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond’ — introduces students to the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire. The book was released this week and will be used in the current academic year.

In the revised NCERT curriculum, the history of the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, and the Marathas will now be taught in Class 8, instead of Class 7 as in previous years. According to NCERT, this shift is part of the updated syllabus structure.

The new Class 8 textbook includes a chapter titled ‘Reshaping India’s Political Map’, which covers key developments in Indian history from the 13th to 17th centuries. It discusses the rise and decline of the Delhi Sultanate, resistance against it, the emergence of the Vijayanagara Empire, the Mughals and their opposition, and the rise of the Sikh community.

The chapter describes the Sultanate era as a time of political unrest and military campaigns, during which villages and cities were plundered, and temples and centres of learning were destroyed. The sections on both the Sultanate and the Mughals highlight multiple instances of temple destruction and describe the rule of some monarchs as “brutal.” These references were not included in the older Class 7 textbook that previously introduced this period.

Instances from the book:

1. Attacks by Malik Kafur:
Alauddin Khilji’s general, Malik Kafur, carried out raids on several important Hindu religious centres, including Srirangam, Madurai, Chidambaram, and possibly Rameswaram.

2. Destruction During Sultanate Rule:
During the time of the Delhi Sultanate, many religious images in Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu temples were destroyed. This destruction was driven not only by the desire for wealth but also by religious motivations, specifically iconoclasm.

3. On the ‘Jiziya’ Tax:
The new textbook explains that the ‘jiziya’ — a tax levied on non-Muslims by some sultans — was not only a financial burden but also publicly humiliating. It acted as a social and monetary pressure that encouraged people to convert to Islam. In contrast, the earlier Class 7 book described ‘jiziya’ simply as a tax that non-Muslims paid, initially with land tax and later as a separate levy.

NCERT is publishing new school textbooks in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023. So far, updated books have been released for Classes 1 to 4, as well as for Classes 6 and 7. Now, new textbooks for Classes 5 and 8 are also being introduced.

Previously, Class 8 students used three separate Social Science textbooks—one each for history, social and political life, and geography. The newly released Part 1 of the updated Class 8 textbook combines all three subjects, while Part 2 is expected to be released later this year.