'Killed 30000 in Chittorgarh, brutal': How new NCERT book describes Akbar

A new NCERT book of social science for Class 8 describes Mughal ruler Aurangzeb as the one who banned "un-Islamic" practices in India and Akbar as a blend of "brutality" and “tolerance”. The book, which islikelyto be introduced in the curriculum in the 2025-2026 academic year,marks a shift in tone in its portrayal of the Mughal emperors. The book calls Babur "aTurkic Mongol ruler and military strategist," who defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat in 1526. It says his son, Humayun, lost the empire briefly to Sher Shah Suri.

The book says Akbar, who ascendedthe throne aged just 13, consolidated the empire. The Mughal ruler was a blend of brutality and tolerance, and was shaped by ambition and strategy.

It noted that during the siege of Chittorgarh in 1568, Akbar ordered the massacre of some 30,000 civilians and the enslavement of surviving women and children. He, the book says, commented after the slaughter: “We have succeeded in occupying several forts and towns belonging to the infidels and have established Islam there... With the help of our bloodthirsty sword, we have erased the signs of infidelity from their minds and have destroyed temples in those places and also all over Hindustan.”

It further said thatAkbar abolished the jizya, welcomed Rajput nobles to his court, and promoted sulh-i-kul - or "peace with all". He established a translation bureau at Fatehpur Sikri and commissioned the Persian translations of the Mahabharata (Razmnama), Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, and Panchatantra.

Under Aurangzeb, the book said, theMughal empire grew leaps and bounds but was marred byreligious orthodoxy and policies.

“He gradually banned practices he regarded as un-Islamic, such as music and dance in his court, and reimposed the jizya tax on non-Muslims as well as a pilgrimage tax on Hindus travelling to their sacred places (both of which had been abolished by Akbar).”

It said temples were destroyed in Banaras, Mathura, and Somnat, and the adherents of Jain, Sikh, and Sufi ideologies were persecuted.

The NCERT has defended the inclusion of such details.

"While those happenings cannot be erased or denied, it would be wrong to hold anyone today responsible for them... Understanding the historical origin of cruel violence, abusive misrule, or misplaced ambitions of power is the best way to heal the past and build a future where, hopefully, they will have no place," it said.