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Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Was Jaisalmer ever a part of the Maratha empire? Here's what historians say
A map showing the extent of the Maratha empire in 1759 in the new NCERT Class 8 social science textbook has run into a controversy. Chaitanya Raj Singh, scion of the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Jaisalmer, on Monday (August 4) called the map, which shows Jaisalmer to be a part of the Maratha empire, 'historically misleading, factually baseless, and deeply objectionable'. '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,' he posted on X. कक्षा 8 की NCERT की सामाजिक विज्ञान विषय पाठ्यपुस्तक (Unit 3, पृष्ठ संख्या 71) में दर्शाए गए मानचित्र में जैसलमेर को तत्कालीन मराठा साम्राज्य का भाग दर्शाया गया है, जो कि ऐतिहासिक रूप से भ्रामक, तथ्यहीन और गम्भीर रूप से आपत्तिजनक है। इस प्रकार की अपुष्ट और ऐतिहासिक साक्ष्यविहीन… — Chaitanya Raj Singh (@crsinghbhati) August 4, 2025 On Wednesday, Michel Danino, chairperson of the NCERT's curricular area group for the new social science textbooks, responded to the objection, stating: 'Further research is on to confirm that our map's boundaries are incorrect; if they are, a revised map will be prepared based on the best information available, and submitted for future editions of the textbook.' What did Jaisalmer look like in the 18th century? Who were its rulers? In the first half of the 18th century, with the Mughal empire breaking up, the then Peshwa of the Maratha empire, Baji Rao I, 'could not resist a Maratha drive' into the north, Stewart Gordon wrote in The Marathas 1600–1818 (1993). By then, the Marathas were already collecting tribute from erstwhile Mughal dominions in the Deccan. The Marathas then pushed into parts of Rajasthan, the areas around Delhi and Punjab, and Bundelkhand, besides attacking parts of Orissa, Bengal, and Bihar, Gordon wrote. They established control over Malwa after the Battle of Bhopal. The Bengal raids were under Baji Rao's successors. The early conquests in this period, Gordon wrote, saw the Marathas make little attempt to displace the local powers. Rather, they let local rulers remain in control, entering agreements with zamindars to collect tribute. Rahul Magar, Assistant Professor at the History Department at Savitribai Phule Pune University, told The Indian Express that 'the Marathas were collecting chauth and sardeshmukhi from the Rajput territories, but does that mean that they had political intervention in those states? No, they did not, in many cases.' He added that economic tribute and political authority should be treated as distinct: 'These states, like Rajputana and even Orissa and Bengal, were paying financial tribute, but it is not necessary that they politically considered the Peshwa as their overlord.' Prof Dilbagh Singh, retired professor of history at Jawaharlal Nehru University who has worked on Rajasthan in his research, said that the Marathas raided parts of Rajasthan a number of times to claim tribute. 'Once the Marathas consolidated their position in the Deccan, they began their expansion towards the north. Malwa was annexed to the Maratha empire, and Orissa was also under Maratha rule. To start with, they entered Rajasthan on the invitation of the Rajput chieftains, to address their succession disputes… The Rajputs paid tribute to the Marathas,' Prof Singh said, adding that while the Marathas did take control of some territory, no Rajput state was ever annexed to be 'directly ruled by the Marathas'. The Maratha equation was not the same with all rulers of that region. Prof Singh said: 'The Marathas didn't raid Jaisalmer and Bikaner. They never went too far. Most of their attacks were confined to Jaipur and Jodhpur.' Jaisalmer was under the Bhati clan of Rajputs. Other historians agree. Professor B L Bhadani, former Head of the History Department at Aligarh Muslim University, told The Indian Express, 'I have gone through the entire text of the said chapter but nowhere I found names of Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. In the map, only the name of Jaipur is mentioned. I can say with full confidence that Jaisalmer was never a tributary state. This map is incorrect.' Gordon wrote of a tribute collecting expedition that Baji Rao I led in 1728 through western Malwa and into Rajasthan. 'There had been, however, a friendship between Bajirao and Jai Singh (of Jaipur) which lessened the pressure for tribute in the 1730s. After Bajirao's death, Maratha military contingents invaded Rajasthan almost every year,' he wrote. Gordon also mentions the succession disputes like those in Bundi and Jodhpur, and the tribute that the Marathas claimed from these regions. 'Through the later years of the 1750s, the Peshwa, Shinde, and Holkar sent armies into Rajasthan to collect the arrears of the large promised tribute… but nothing like an administration was in place. As soon as the main-force Maratha army left, the Maratha representatives were thrown out, and no tribute paid.' Prof Manisha Choudhary of Delhi University, an expert in medieval Rajasthan, added, 'The subordinate state shall pay the tribute regularly, however even Amber-Jaipur was not paying the tribute regularly, forget about any other state located in present territory of Rajasthan.' She said, 'If somebody is not paying you full-fledged revenue but only sending some gifts and nazars occasionally, that doesn't fit them in the category of subsidiary state… So far, there is no record for Jaisalmer [paying tribute].' The nature of the Maratha empire American historian Richard Eaton, in the book India in the Persianate Age (2019), wrote that in the decades of the 1730s to the 1750s, 'Maratha rule was patchy and irregular across much of central India'. Some regions were fully administered by the Peshwa's men 'and others only thinly administered, and populated by recalcitrant zamindars who managed to defy Maratha authority from behind walled strongholds.' Scholars have been divided over the nature of the Maratha polity and whether it was a confederacy. Gordon wrote that writing on the Maratha polity has revolved around three themes: 'the Maratha polity as a 'rising''of the regional consciousness of Maharashtra; the Maratha polity as Hindu response to oppressive Muslim rule; the Maratha polity as brave attempt to change the nature of Hindu society and better the lot of its poorest members.' He added: 'It is less glamorous and less heroic to see the Maratha polity as one among many in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, not as a proto-nationalist resistance against the foreigner, nor as a Hindu crusade against Islam.' Professor Pankaj Jha of Lady Shri Ram College offered a broader reflection: 'It is true that the dominant clan of the Marathas in the 18th century made a general claim of sovereignty over almost the entire north and north-western parts of India as well as the Deccan. However, their actual control varied enormously. The more critical question is how authority is made, rather than which dynasty or clan proclaimed themselves to be great, and how we must (or must not) take pride in the dynastic possessions of this or that dynasty.' The new Class 8 social science book features an entire chapter on the Marathas, unlike the old history book which had a section on them. On Jaisalmer and the map, Danino wrote in a note on Wednesday that the chapter was prepared in consultation with two experts on the Maratha period, nowhere in the chapter (including the map) is Jaisalmer mentioned, the map was drawn on the basis of maps published earlier, and 'to the best of our knowledge, no objection was raised against such maps, which have long been in the public domain.' He added that the maps include not only areas directly under Maratha control, but also states paying tributes/taxes, or at times under some agreement with the Marathas. 'While such maps freeze territories at one point in time, the actual context was of course much more complex, fluid, and fast evolving. A single map cannot encapsulate the whole story of the Maratha empire,' he wrote. 'The tight timeline given for the preparation of the new textbooks hardly allows for original research in every single relevant primary source; understandably, our contributors at times need to trust and depend on secondary sources considered authentic and scholarly,' he wrote, adding that 'we are fully open to error correction.' He also wrote that while the Grade 7 textbook contained a caveat that the borders on a map are approximate, the team should have used the same caveat for all historical maps in the Grade 8 textbook as well. Prof Magar also called for nuance in cartographic representation. 'Such maps should be made using different shades of colours… One indicating direct control, another for tributary states, one for territories that were captured but did not remain under control, and another indicating influence. This blanket map is not consistent with the truth.' Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune. A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
NCERT panel to examine textbooks after Rajasthan royal heirs object to map
Kolhapur: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has set up a committee of experts from educational institutions, led by its curriculum department head Ranjana Arora, to examine the content of CBSE textbooks. This comes in the backdrop of the criticism it is facing from descendants of Rajasthan royal families over a map in the Class 8 social science book that shows their erstwhile states under the Maratha Empire. "NCERT has received feedback about the educational content in a few textbooks. Hence, a committee of experts is being constituted as per its established practice. This committee will examine the feedback in light of the available evidence and submit its report at the earliest possible," a press release issued by NCERT said, without any reference to the map or the book. Among those who have objected to the map printed on page 71 of unit 3, 'Rise of Marathas' in the textbook, 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond', are Chaitanya Raj Singh, head or Maharawal of Jaisalmer, Bhupesh Singh Hada, heir of the royal family of Bundi, Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, descendant of Maharana Pratap, and former Union minister and Congress politician Jitendra Singh, who is a member of the erstwhile Alwar royal family. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is this legal? Access all TV channels without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo They claimed that in the 18th century, the princely states of Rajasthan-Marwar, Mewar, Bikaner, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Jaipur, and Alwar maintained their independence and autonomy and were never under the domination of the Marathas, never paid any taxes, and there was never any interference of the Marathas in the administration. Hada even went on to say that the Maratha Empire was a fictitious entity. Some of them also tagged Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on X, while some of the BJP MPs associated with the royal families met him in person and registered their objection. Maratha historians, however, have countered their claims, stating that the 1752 Ahadnama treaty between the Marathas and Mughals led to Maratha domination over the princely states controlled by the Mughals, which included princely states from Rajasthan. The Scindia Research Centre, an initiative of the Scindias of Gwalior, has put out several posts on its official X handle. Citing a collection of treaties, engagements, and sanadas published in 1909, the centre said, "The British emerged victorious against the Scindia Marathas, following a valiant resistance from the latter. The British then proceeded to forge individual friendship treaties with several states in what is now Rajasthan, which had formerly paid tribute to the Marathas. " The centre also cited V P Menon, then secretary in the ministry of states between 1947 and 1951, who stated in the book "Integration of Indian States": "By 1792, Madhoji Scindia (Mahadji Shinde) had established his ascendancy over the Rajputs and the Jats, and his power and splendour in northern India were absolute." Historians seek govt intervention Maratha historians have urged the Maharashtra govt to approach the Centre and stop NCERT from bowing down to Rajput royal heirs. "Maps were prepared later by the historians. Historians like Jadunath Sarkar and Irfan Habib have presented maps of the expanse of various empires such as the Mughals and Marathas. The map shown in the NCERT textbook is of a period called the 'high tide of the Marathas', especially under the military leadership of Mahadji Shinde and Malharrao Holkar. The Marathas had killedars in the fort of Peshawar, Kandahar, Attock, and even Delhi's Red Fort," said Kolhapur-based historian Indrajit Sawant. Sawant further said the Rajputs were under Mughal domination, and when the Marathas got total influence on the Mughal Badshah, the influence spread across. "There was no direct domination of the Marathas, but so was that of the Mughals across areas shown in the maps in history books. We demand that state govt approach Centre and stop NCERT from making changes in the map. The map can, however, be made clearer as to the areas of direct domination and indirect domination, mentioning the context to avoid the struggle over history. " Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
NCERT sets up expert panel to examine books after map row
Kolhapur: The NCERT has set up a committee of experts from educational institutions, led by its curriculum department head Ranjana Arora, to examine the content of CBSE textbooks. This comes in the backdrop of the criticism it is facing from descendants of Rajasthan royal families over a map in the Class 8 social science book that shows their erstwhile states under the Maratha Empire. Among those who have objected to the map printed on page 71 of unit 3, 'Rise of Marathas' in the textbook, 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond', are Chaitanya Raj Singh, head or Maharawal of Jaisalmer, Bhupesh Singh Hada, heir of the royal family of Bundi, Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, descendant of Maharana Pratap, and former Union minister and Congress politician Jitendra Singh, a member of the erstwhile Alwar royal family. They claimed that in the 18th century, the princely states of Rajasthan-Marwar, Mewar, Bikaner, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Jaipur, and Alwar maintained their independence and autonomy and were never under the domination of the Marathas, never paid any taxes, and there was never any interference of the Marathas in the administration. Hada even said the Maratha Empire was a fictitious entity. Some of them also tagged union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on X, while some of the BJP MPs associated with the royal families met him in person and registered their objection. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Maratha historians have countered their claims, stating that the 1752 Ahadnama treaty between the Marathas and Mughals led to Maratha domination over the princely states controlled by the Mughals, including in Rajasthan. The Scindia Research Centre, an initiative of the Scindias of Gwalior, has put out several posts on its official X handle. Citing a collection of treaties, engagements, and sanadas published in 1909, the centre said, "The British emerged victorious against the Scindia Marathas, following a valiant resistance from the latter. The British then proceeded to forge individual friendship treaties with several states in what is now Rajasthan, which had formerly paid tribute to the Marathas. " The centre also cited V P Menon, then secretary in the ministry of states between 1947 and 1951, who stated in the book 'Integration of Indian States': "By 1792, Madhoji Scindia had established his ascendancy over the Rajputs and the Jats, and his power and splendour in northern India were absolute." Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
NCERT panel to examine content amid row over Maratha map
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Thursday constituted a committee of experts to examine the feedback about the educational content in a few textbooks. Ranjana Arora, head of the Curriculum Studies and Development (DCSD) of NCERT will be the convenor of the committee of high-level domain experts from reputed institutions and faculty members from the relevant subject area, officials said. NCERT panel to examine content amid row over Maratha map 'At present, NCERT has received feedback about the educational content in a few textbooks. Hence a Committee is being constituted having senior experts, as per its established practice. This committee will examine the feedback in light of the available evidence and submit its report at the earliest possible,' NCERT said in a statement on Thursday. NCERT's statement came three days after Chaitanya Raj Singh, the head of Jaisalmer's former royal family, raised concerns over alleged historical inaccuracies in one of NCERT's newly released textbooks. On Tuesday, Singh in a post on X, objected to a map in the Class 8 Social Science textbook depicting Jaisalmer as part of the Maratha Empire. He described the portrayal as 'historically misleading, factless, and seriously objectionable,' claiming it misrepresents the role and territory of Rajput and Maratha rulers as there are 'no authentic historical sources' that mention 'any Maratha dominance, invasion, taxation, or authority' over Jaisalmer. The map in question shows the Maratha Empire in 1759 extending beyond the western coast to include large parts of the northern plains, as well as present-day Gujarat, Rajasthan, Lahore, and Peshawar. It also marks tributary states under Maratha influence. While the Class 7 History textbook included the Marathas as part of a broader chapter on 18th-century political formations, the revised Class 8 book dedicates an entire chapter to the Marathas. The earlier textbook featured maps showing Marathas were broadly placed in present-day Maharashtra with arrows indicating their expansion, while the Rajputs were shown around present-day Rajasthan. The chapter in the old textbook stated: 'By the 1730s, the Maratha king was recognised as the overlord of the entire Deccan peninsula.' On Wednesday, Mahima Kumari, BJP MP from Rajasthan's Rajasmand met Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to discuss the 'incorrect depiction of history by NCERT.' 'The Honorable Minister ji assured that this matter will be considered seriously and necessary action will be taken,' she said in a post on X. Tane Singh Sodha, lecturer of history at a government school in Jaisalmer said that Mughals never ruled over Rajasthan but collected taxes (like chauth and sardeshmukhi) from various royal families of Rajasthan by exerting military pressure. 'Their authority was more about extraction than governance. Marathas looted or extracted payments through force but never established proper administrative control,' he said. Responding to the objections raised over the map, Michel Danino, chairperson of NCERT's Curricular Area Group (CAG) for social science, in a note issued on Wednesday, stated that 'further research is on to confirm that our map's boundaries are incorrect.' 'If they are,' he added, 'a revised map will be prepared based on the best information available, and submitted for future editions of the textbook.' Danino also emphasized that the NCERT team is 'fully open to error correction.' He clarified that the chapter in question was developed in consultation with two experts on the Maratha period, and 'nowhere in the chapter (including the map) is Jaisalmer mentioned.' The map, he said, was based on earlier published maps, and 'to the best of our knowledge, no objection was raised against such maps, which have long been in the public domain.' Danino further explained that the map includes not only areas directly under Maratha control, but also 'states paying tributes/taxes, or at times under some agreement with the Marathas.' Addressing the process behind textbook preparation, he pointed to the 'tight timeline' under which the new textbooks had to be developed, stating that it 'hardly allows for original research in every relevant primary source,' and that contributors had to rely on secondary sources that are widely accepted as authentic and scholarly. He also acknowledged an oversight, noting that while the new Class 7 textbook includes a disclaimer stating that borders on historical maps are approximate, 'the team should have used the same caveat for all historical maps in this book as well.' As a follow-up to the National Education Policy 2020, NCERT has been releasing new textbooks for Classes 1 to 8 since 2023–24 under the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE). Earlier objections were raised over the portrayal of other regional histories in social science textbooks. Actor R Madhavan criticized the revised NCERT syllabus for focusing heavily on Mughal and British rule while neglecting southern dynasties like the Cholas and Pandyas. Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik also expressed disappointment over the removal of the 1817 Paika Rebellion from the Class 8 Social Science Part 1 textbook, calling it a 'watershed moment' in Odisha's history to which NCERT responded that it will be covered in the second part of the book. 'The committee will examine all the concerns including representations of regional histories including the Ahoms in Assam, coverage of South Indian dynasties, and certain chapters in vocational and physical education books,' a NCERT source said. NCERT's Thursday statement said it follows an established process of forming expert committees to review substantial feedback on textbook content or pedagogy. 'The committee carefully deliberates on the matter, makes evidence-based decisions regarding the content or pedagogy, and recommends appropriate actions accordingly at the earliest,' it said. Former NCERT director JS Rajput said, 'We used to get feedback on our books throughout the year. With the help of NCERT committees comprising various experts, we used to examine the claims made by stakeholders including students, teachers and academicians.'
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Maratha Empire map draws fire, NCERT says will revise if needed
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has formed a committee to review feedback received on the newly released Class 8 social science textbook, particularly over a map showing parts of Rajasthan under the Maratha Empire. The issue came into the spotlight after Chaitanya Raj Singh of the erstwhile Jaisalmer royal family raised objections on social media, calling the depiction 'historically misleading' and unsupported by credible naming the specific case, NCERT issued a statement on Thursday saying it has a long-standing practice of forming expert committees when significant feedback is received on panel, comprising domain experts and academic faculty, will examine the matter using available historical evidence and submit a report 'at the earliest.' The Class 8 textbooks were released last month under the framework of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023. This rollout is part of a phased launch of new textbooks for Classes 1 to Danino, chairperson of NCERT's curricular group for social science, responded to the issue in a detailed note on Wednesday. He stated that further research is ongoing to verify the accuracy of the errors are confirmed, the map will be revised and updated in future editions. He emphasised the team's openness to clarified that the map in question includes not only regions under direct Maratha rule but also areas that were paying tribute or under temporary agreements with the also pointed out the challenges in representing historical boundaries, noting that empires were often fluid and map, he explained, was based on earlier published versions that have existed in the public domain without previous objections. The textbook chapter was developed with input from two experts on Maratha history, and Jaisalmer is not specifically named anywhere in the chapter or the map.A notable omission, however, was the lack of a disclaimer stating that map boundaries are approximate, something included in the Class 7 textbook. Danino admitted this should have been added in the Class 8 version as episode highlights the complexities involved in historical representation, especially when educational content intersects with regional NCERT's willingness to review and correct content, if needed, shows the ongoing nature of academic work—even in school textbooks.- Ends
