'Wrongful and malicious': Rajasthan royals object to Maratha map in NCERT textbook; Maharashtra historians hit back

JAISALMER/KOLHAPUR: A Class 8 NCERT social science textbook featuring a map that shows fort city Jaisalmer as part of the Maratha Empire has led the scions of Rajasthan's erstwhile royal families to contest the depiction as "wrongful" and "malicious", pitting them against historians from Maharashtra who cite "documentary evidence" to back what they claim is historically accurate.

Chaitanya Raj Singh, the current titular Maharawal of Jaisalmer, tagged Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on X, urging him to have the "erroneous" and "agenda-driven content" rectified.

The map appears on Page 71 of Unit 3 — ‘Rise of Marathas' — in the textbook ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond'.

"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 the Marathas never had any interference in the Jaisalmer princely state," he wrote.

Brig Bhupesh Singh Hada (retired), head of the former royal family of Bundi, had been first off the blocks, disputing the portrayal of Rajput princely states as part of the Maratha empire and going as far as declaring the Maratha empire a fictitious entity.

Rajsamand's BJP MP Mahima Kumari Mewar and her MLA husband Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, who is a descendant of Maharana Pratap, joined in the backlash, as did Congress's former Union minister Jitendra Singh, a member of the erstwhile Alwar royal family.

"First misrepresented as being under the 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," Mahima Kumari wrote on X.

Jitendra Singh said "historical evidence" shows that Maratha influence in Rajasthan was "limited to raids".

"There is no question of dominance or expansion. Distorting history on religious or regional grounds turns facts into myths. This mistake made by NCERT is an attempt to undermine the valour, independence and cultural contribution of the valiant rulers of Rajasthan," he said.

"It's a historical fact that in the 18th century, the princely states of Rajasthan — be it Marwar, Mewar, Bikaner, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Jaisalmer, Alwar or others... were all able to maintain their independence and autonomy. In the 18th century, the powerful Rajput kingdoms of Rajasthan and the Jat state of Bharatpur were famous for their independent governance, military strength, and cultural identity. These rulers constantly struggled to maintain their autonomy against the Mughals, Marathas, and later the British," he added.

But Maratha historians say the depiction is accurate, mentioning records from the 18th century such as the 1752 pact between the Mughal Empire and the Marathas to buttress the claim.

NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Sakhlani and Gouri Srivastava, head of the department of education in social sciences at the National Council for Education Research and Training, hadn't responded to calls and texts from TOI till late on Tuesday.

Historian Pandurang Balkawade from Pune referenced the NCERT map showing the expanse of 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 includes Rajput princely states, indicating Maratha reach from Peshawar to Cuttack in Odisha.

Indrajit Sawant, a Kolhapur-based historian, said, "Rajputana came under 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 jagirdars of the Mughals. They were made to mandatorily pay 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 pointed to the "Ahadnama", a pact between Mughal Badshah Ahmad Shah Bahadur and Maratha warriors Malharrao Holkar and Mahadji Shinde for Nanasaheb Peshwa 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 this. 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 said.

He said 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 Allahabad fort, on the throne in 1771, becoming Naib Vakil-i-Mutaliq, 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. 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 1771 helped him stop the British from taking control during his reign."



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