Why the BJP Government is Altering NCERT History Books: The Case of Maharaja Surajmal and the Maratha Empire

Introduction to the Controversy

The controversy surrounding the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks has intensified in August 2025, particularly over the depiction in the Class 8 Social Science textbook, “Exploring Society: India and Beyond” (introduced in the 2024-2025 academic year). A map on page 71 of Unit 3, in the chapter “The Rise of the Marathas,” illustrates the Maratha Empire’s extent in 1759 as including the Jat kingdom of Bharatpur, along with other regions like Jaisalmer and parts of present-day Haryana and Rajasthan. This portrayal implies that Maharaja Surajmal (r. 1733-1763), the independent ruler of Bharatpur, was subordinate to Maratha authority—a narrative that historians and regional leaders argue is factually incorrect and ideologically motivated. Critics, including Congress MP Deepender Hooda, have labeled this as an “injustice or conspiracy” against Haryana’s history, accusing the map of erasing the Bharatpur Empire and distorting facts to glorify Maratha dominance. Former royals from Jaisalmer, such as Chaitanya Raj Singh, have called the inclusion of their kingdom “baseless” and “misleading,” urging Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to intervene. In response to the outcry, NCERT has formed an expert panel to review the map and textbook, stating it will make revisions if inaccuracies are confirmed. Maratha historians, however, defend the depiction, citing historical treaties and urging the government not to bow to pressure from Rajput heirs. This debate ties into broader accusations that the BJP-led government, influenced by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is revising curricula to advance a Hindutva agenda, emphasizing Hindu empires while marginalizing regional autonomies and non-Hindu histories.

Historical Background: Maharaja Surajmal and the Jat Kingdom

Maharaja Surajmal, born on February 13, 1707, to Rani Devki and Thakur Badan Singh, emerged as a pivotal figure in 18th-century Indian history, transforming the Jat kingdom of Bharatpur into a resilient independent state amid the crumbling Mughal Empire. Known as “the Plato of the Jat tribe” and “Jat Odysseus” for his wisdom and strategic acumen, Surajmal inherited a realm recognized as autonomous by Mughal farmans in 1722, which granted jagirs without imposing vassalage. By 1733, he had fortified key sites like Deeg, Kumher, and Lohagarh Fort, expanding his territory through military campaigns and diplomacy while resisting Mughal, Maratha, and Afghan encroachments. His kingdom served as a refuge for notables fleeing Nadir Shah’s 1739 sack of Delhi, underscoring its strength and independence. Surajmal patronized literature, commissioning works like “Singhāsan Batisi,” “Vikram Vilās,” and “Sujān Vilās” by poets such as Akhai Ram and Uday Ram, which celebrated his rule. Primary sources, including Persian manuscripts like those in “Wendel’s Memoirs on the Origin, Growth and Present State of the Jat Power in Hindustan” (1768) by Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Gentil, and Jat chronicles digitized by institutions like the Panjab Digital Library, affirm Bharatpur’s sovereignty. Inscriptions on forts like Lohagarh commemorate Jat victories independently, without references to overlords. Books such as “History of the Jats” by Kalika Ranjan Qanungo (1925) and “Maharaja Suraj Mal, 1707-1763: His Life and Times” by K. Natwar Singh (1981) detail his administrative reforms, military prowess, and role as a unifier of Jat clans, portraying him as a resistor of external domination rather than a subordinate. His tragic death on December 25, 1763, in an ambush near the Hindon River marked the end of an era, but his legacy as the last prominent Hindu ruler in northern India endures.

The Delhi Vijay: Surajmal’s Conquest of Delhi in 1753

One of the most emblematic episodes of Surajmal’s independence was the Delhi Vijay (conquest or plunder of Delhi) on May 9-10, 1753, during a period of Mughal civil strife. Triggered by the Mughal Emperor Ahmad Shah’s decision to reclaim Awadh and Allahabad from Nawab Safdar Jang, whom Surajmal supported, the Jat forces—around 5,000 strong—stormed Old Delhi amid the chaos of Safdar Jang’s rebellion. Surajmal’s army defeated Nawab Ghazi-ud-din III (also known as Imad-ul-Mulk) on May 10, plundering the Red Fort and seizing treasures valued at crores, including silver ceilings, jewels, and artillery. The plunder lasted several days, causing many residents to flee, and briefly placed Delhi’s outskirts under Jat control, further weakening Mughal authority. This wealth funded Bharatpur’s fortifications and expansions, including the later capture of Agra in 1761. Primary sources include Mughal-biased Persian chronicles like “Tarikh-i-Ahmad Shahi,” which detail the humiliation, and Jat oral histories glorifying the event. Inscriptions on Lohagarh Fort commemorate the victory, while Maratha records note Surajmal’s unilateral action, contradicting any subordinate role. The event is annually celebrated as “Delhi Vijay Diwas” on May 10, with recent observances in Uttar Pradesh under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in June 2025. This audacious raid, absent from the NCERT narrative, exemplifies Bharatpur’s autonomy and Surajmal’s defiance of larger powers.

Relations Between Surajmal and the Marathas: Evidence of Independence

Surajmal’s interactions with the Marathas were characterized by a mix of conflicts, pragmatic alliances, and treaties that preserved Bharatpur’s sovereignty, rather than establishing subordination. During the Maratha zenith under Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao, their northern expansion involved extracting chauth (tribute) from regions like Rajasthan, but this was often nominal and contested, not indicative of territorial control or vassalage.

The Siege of Kumher (1754)

The siege of Kumher Fort in January 1754 exemplifies Bharatpur’s resistance to Maratha dominance. Instigated by Mughal Emperor Alamgir II and Nawab Ghazi-ud-din as retaliation for the Delhi plunder, Maratha commander Khanderao Holkar (son of Malhar Rao Holkar) besieged the fort over tribute disputes and the killing of a Maratha officer. A coalition including Jaipur State forces joined the Marathas, but Surajmal’s defenses held for months. The siege ended disastrously for the Marathas when Khanderao was killed by a cannonball in March 1754, forcing a retreat and a treaty where Surajmal paid a nominal fine but retained full independence. Maratha bakhars in “Selections from the Peshwa Daftar” document this humiliation, while “Wendel’s Memoirs” (1768) provides eyewitness accounts of the failed assault. Architectural evidence on Kumher’s fort walls, including Jat fortifications, survives as inscriptions affirming their defensive triumph. Paintings from the era, such as one by artist Ramji (c. 18th century), depict the battle’s intensity.

Alliances and the Third Battle of Panipat (1761)

By 1757-1759, Surajmal formed a temporary alliance with Maratha leader Raghunathrao against Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Abdali, providing logistical support during campaigns into Punjab. However, this was an equal partnership; Surajmal withdrew before the Third Battle of Panipat on January 14, 1761, due to strategic disagreements with Maratha commander Sadashivrao Bhau. Surajmal advised avoiding direct confrontation, leaving non-combatants behind, and securing northern alliances—counsel ignored by Bhau, leading to a devastating Maratha defeat where thousands perished from battle, hunger, or cold. Post-battle, Surajmal sheltered Maratha survivors, including women and children, at Bharatpur, further highlighting his protective, independent role. The alliance initially aimed at Surajmal governing Delhi on behalf of the Peshwas, but discord arose over Maratha taxation and lack of northern support from Rajputs, Sikhs, and others, who viewed Marathas as extractive outsiders. Treaties from 1754, documented in “New History of the Marathas” by G.S. Sardesai (Vol. 2), show no cession of territory. Sanskrit sources and chronicles in “The Marathas in the ‘Land of Five Rivers'” by Uday S. Kulkarni describe interactions as peer rivalries. Books like “Solstice at Panipat” by Kulkarni and “Marathas and Panipat” detail Surajmal’s crucial but non-subservient role, refuting betrayal claims as oversimplifications.

The NCERT Textbook Revision: Depicting Bharatpur Under Marathas

The disputed map in the NCERT textbook’s chapter on the Marathas shows their empire in 1759 encompassing Bharatpur, Jaisalmer, and other independent states, during Raghunathrao’s brief expansion to Attock. This ignores Surajmal’s independent actions, such as the Delhi Vijay, Kumher defense, and Agra capture in 1761, portraying Bharatpur as integrated rather than a tribute-paying ally at best. The revision expands Maratha content while curtailing sections on Mughals and Delhi Sultanate, aligning with post-2014 changes under the National Education Policy 2020. For instance, the textbook describes the Marathas as establishing “sovereignty,” potentially inflating their control to suit a narrative of Hindu resurgence.

Reasons Behind the Changes: BJP and RSS Agenda

The BJP government, guided by the RSS’s Hindutva ideology, has systematically revised NCERT textbooks since 2014 to “decolonize” education and promote a narrative of Hindu nationalism, emphasizing empires like the Marathas while downplaying Muslim dynasties, evolution, and secular events like Gandhi’s assassination. RSS-affiliated schools have served as laboratories for these changes, with textbooks glorifying Hindu rulers and omitting inconvenient facts to foster national pride in a “Hindu resurgence” against “foreign” (Muslim) rule. By subsuming Bharatpur under the Marathas, the revisions create a monolithic Hindu empire narrative, countering perceived “leftist” biases in older texts and consolidating Hindus as a political bloc. States like Uttar Pradesh under BJP have adopted these revised books, while critics accuse the government of ideological manipulation.

Criticisms and Implications

These revisions have drawn widespread condemnation from historians, opposition parties like Congress, and regional communities, who argue they distort facts, erode secularism, and ignore nuanced histories like inter-Hindu rivalries. Jat communities protest the erasure of their heritage, while international outlets like Al Jazeera and The Guardian highlight risks of misinformation, societal polarization, and the consolidation of Hindu supremacist views. Books like “Creative Pasts: Historical Memory and Identity in Western India” by Prachi Deshpande critique such ideological reshaping, warning of long-term impacts on education and national identity.

Conclusion

The NCERT’s portrayal of Bharatpur as part of the Maratha Empire in 1759 is unsupported by historical evidence, which clearly establishes Surajmal’s independence through events like the Delhi Vijay, Kumher siege, and Panipat alliances. These textbook changes, driven by the BJP-RSS Hindutva agenda, prioritize nationalist narratives over accuracy, risking the integrity of Indian education. For a balanced understanding, consult primary sources and scholarly works to appreciate the complexities of 18th-century regional polities.

List of References, Manuscripts, Sources, Books, etc.

• Books:
• “History of the Jats” by Kalika Ranjan Qanungo (1925).
• “Maharaja Suraj Mal, 1707-1763: His Life and Times” by K. Natwar Singh (1981).
• “New History of the Marathas” (Vol. 2) by G.S. Sardesai.
• “The Marathas 1600-1818” by Stewart Gordon (Cambridge History of India, Vol. 2, Part 4).
• “Creative Pasts: Historical Memory and Identity in Western India, 1700-1960” by Prachi Deshpande.
• “Wendel’s Memoirs on the Origin, Growth and Present State of the Jat Power in Hindustan” by Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Gentil (1768).
• “Solstice at Panipat” by Uday S. Kulkarni.
• “Marathas and Panipat” (various editions).
• “War Paintings of the Irresistible Jat King Surajmal” by Satya Vrata Tripathi.
• Manuscripts and Primary Sources:
• Persian chronicles: “Tarikh-i-Ahmad Shahi” (Mughal account of Delhi plunder).
• Maratha bakhars: From “Selections from the Peshwa Daftar” (on Kumher siege and treaties).
• Mughal farmans (1722 decrees recognizing Jat autonomy, archived in Rajasthan repositories and Panjab Digital Library).
• Sanskrit primary sources on Maratha history (peer rivalries with Jats).
• Jat oral histories and chronicles (glorifying Delhi Vijay and independence).
• “Zikr-i-Mir” (18th-century manuscript on regional dynamics).
• Inscriptions:
• Inscriptions on Lohagarh Fort, Bharatpur (commemorating Jat victories, including Delhi Vijay).
• Architectural evidence and inscriptions on Kumher Fort walls (Jat fortifications against Marathas).
• Other Sources (Articles, PDFs, Wikis, News):
• Wikipedia: “Suraj Mal,” “Third Battle of Panipat,” “Battle of Kumher.”
• Jatland Wiki: “Maharaja Suraj Mal.”
• Dharmapedia Wiki: “Suraj Mal.”
• Jat Chiefs: “Capture of Delhi (1753),” “Battle of Kumher,” “Maharaja Surajmal.”
• StoryVibe.in: “The Delhi Vijay of 1753,” “The Triumph of Maharaja Surajmal.”
• NCERT PDFs: “Eighteenth-Century Political Formations.”
• Recent news (2025): The Tribune India, The Print, India Today, Times of India, New Indian Express, Rediff, Edinbox.
• Analyses on revisions: Al Jazeera, Wikipedia (NCERT controversies), Counterview.net, The News Minute, Frontline, India Today, The Guardian, DW, IPANewspack, NDTV.