Rajasthan royal family descendants fume over map in NCERT Class 8 book, say Rajputana never part of Maratha Empire

Time of India

a day ago

Kolhapur: The depiction of Jaisalmer as part of the Maratha Empire in the map featured in the NCERT's social science Class 8 textbook has been criticised as historically misleading and factually baseless.
Chaitanya Raj Singh, the head of Jaisalmer's former royal family, took to his X account to tag Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, urging him to "correct" the "erroneous, malicious, and agenda-driven content" without delay.
The objection pertains to the map on Page 71 of Unit 3 "Rise of Marathas" published in the textbook "Exploring Society: India and Beyond".
Prior to Chaitanya Raj Singh's objection, Bhupesh Singh, the head of the former royal family of Rajasthan's Bundi, had also expressed concerns on his verified X account.
He contested the portrayal of Rajput princely states as part of the Maratha empire and went as far as declaring the Maratha Empire a fictitious entity.
"In the context of the Jaisalmer princely state, no authentic historical sources mention any Maratha dominance, invasion, taxation, or authority. On the contrary, our royal records clearly state that the Marathas never had any interference in the Jaisalmer princely state," Chaitanya Raj Singh wrote.
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Rajsamand's BJP MP Mahima Kumari Mewar and her MLA husband V S Mewar, a descendent of Maharana Pratap, joined in, as did Congress's ex-Union minister Jitendra Singh, member of the erstwhile Alwar royal family. "First misrepresented as being under British, now as under Marathas –– who is going to educate the educationists in NCERT?! Are they capable of presenting the factual history of India; seriously doubt it," Kumari wrote on X.
TOI made calls and sent SMSes to NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Sakhlani and Gouri Srivastava, the head of the department of education in social sciences at National Council for Education Research and Training, for the NCERT's stand on the claims by Rajput royals. Their response is awaited.
Historian Pandurang Balkawade from Pune has countered these claims, citing historical pacts and documents that demonstrate Maratha dominance over Rajput princely states.
He referenced the NCERT map, which illustrates the Maratha Empire, including tributary states denoted in a specific colour, and cities governed by the Marathas and their allies. Although Jaisalmer is not explicitly mentioned, the map's expanse includes Rajput princely states, showing the Maratha reach from Peshawar to Cuttack.
Indrajit Sawant, a Kolhapur based historian, said, "Rajputana came under the influence of the Marathas after the Marathas started domination over the Mughal Badshah.
Marathas used to run the Mughal empire and the Rajput states came under it. The Rajputs were the jaghirdars of the Mughals. They were made to mandatorily pay the taxes. Though the Marathas didn't have day-to-day control over the Rajput states, there were deployments to ensure the terms were followed.
"
Balkawade also pointed to the 'Ahadnama', a pact between Mughal Badshah Ahmad Shah Bahadur and Maratha warriors Malharao Holkar and Mahadji Shinde for Peshwa Nanasaheb in April 1752, as evidence of Maratha authority over Rajput states.
"There are multiple sources and documents that provide a detailed description of the 'Ahadnama', the pact signed between Safdar Jung on behalf of the Mughal emperor and Shinde-Holkar on behalf of the Peshwa at Kannauj.
The wazir of the Badshah went to Kannauj, where Shinde-Holkar were planning to go south. He brought the message of the Badshah that Ahmed Shah Abdali was marching towards Delhi, and he wanted the Marathas to protect the Badshah and his empire.
As per the pact, the Marathas had to protect the emperor from internal enemies like the Pathans, Rajputs, or other rebels and external foes like Afghan king Abdali. The Marathas were given Rs 50 lakh for the same. The Peshwa was given the right to levy chauth from Punjab, Sindh, and Doab, and the Peshwa was also granted viceroyalty of Agra and Ajmer," Balkawade explained.
He further detailed that records from the Peshwa administration indicate regular collection of chauth from regions including Ajmer (Mewar), with one document showing Rs 13 lakh collected as tax.
Other areas from which chauth was collected include Delhi, Agra, Ujjain (Malwa), and Odisha. Following the Badshah's death, Mahadji Shinde installed Shah Alam, who had been held for six years in the Allahabad fort, on the throne in 1771, becoming Naib Vakil-i-Mutaliq, the deputy regent of the empire.
Balkawade also pointed to the disputes within the royal families of Jodhpur and Jaipur regarding succession. "The Marathas adjudicated in both post-1752, and in Jodhpur, Bijaysingh ascended the throne, and in Jaipur, Madhavsingh ascended the throne. Both the new rulers joined the Maratha Empire. This should not sound against Rajputs; Marathas fought against alien invasion to protect everyone, which led to the unification of Hindustan.
Mahadji Shinde controlled Delhi for 23 years, and the pact signed in 1752 helped him to stop the British from taking control during his reign," Balkawade added.
— With inputs from Vimal Bhatia in Jaisalmer