Akbar, Babur, Aurangzeb face historical scrutiny in NCERT's class 8 textbook

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a new Class 8 Social Science textbook that offers a revised take on Indian history from the 13th to 17th centuries. The book, part of the series Exploring Society: India and Beyond, is the first among the new NCERT releases to introduce students to the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal periods.

Unlike earlier editions, this version directly addresses instances of brutality and religious intolerance.

It includes a special note titled 'Note on Some Darker Periods in History', which explains the rationale behind highlighting violence, temple destruction, and political oppression during those centuries.

NEW CURRICULUM PROMOTES CONTEXTUAL UNDERSTANDING

The



book includes a cautionary note stating that no present-day community or individual should be held accountable for these historical events. NCERT says the intention is to offer students an honest, evidence-based understanding of history.

Shivaji and the Marathas are presented in contrast, as leaders who rebuilt temples and respected other religions. Shivaji is called a master strategist and a devout Hindu.

NCERT has said the revised textbooks follow the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023.

With this release, Class 8 now gets a single integrated book instead of three separate ones for history, political science, and geography. Part 2 of the textbook will be released later this year.