The National Council of Educational Research and Training’s new Class 8 social sciences textbook, which describes Mughal emperor Babur as a “brutal and ruthless conqueror” and Aurangzeb as the having destroyed temples and gurdwaras, also points to “many instances of religious intolerance” during the period, The Indian Express reported.

The textbook, which has been introduced for the academic year 2025-’26, portrays Mughal rulers Babur, Akbar and Aurangzeb as “intellectuals” who also “plundered” the Indian population, The Hindu reported.

The NCERT is an educational body that advises the Union government on school syllabi.

The chapter covering history from the 13th century to the 17th century spans the rise and fall of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals, the resistance to them, and the rise of the Sikh empire.

It describes the Sultanate period as one marked by military campaigns in which towns were plundered and temples were attacked, and has references to the brutality of some of the rulers.

A “note on history’s darker periods” before the history section of the textbook says that it is important to study the events dispassionately without blaming anyone living today for what happened during the Sultanate and Mughal period.

“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,” The Indian Express quoted the note as saying.

Babur, Akbar and Aurangzeb were not described in such detail in chapters about the Mughal period in the old NCERT textbook, according to reports. The chapter was part of the Class 7 history textbook at the time.

The changes are part of a broader curriculum revamp under the 2020 National Education Policy and the National Curriculum Framework.

In response to questions about the references to the attacks on temples and the brutality of some Mughal rulers, the NCERT said that the history section, “while it does not sanitise history, is balanced and entirely evidence-based”, The Indian Express reported.

“Besides, in addition to the ‘Note on Some Darker Periods in History’, a cautionary note has been inserted in one of the chapters to make it clear that no one should be held responsible today for events of the past,” it added. “The emphasis is on an honest approach to history with a view to drawing from it important lessons for a better future.”

Michel Danino, the head of NCERT’s Curricular Area Group for Social Science, told The Hindu that the Mughal emperors cannot be understood “unless you go into the complexities of their personalities”.

“Akbar himself admits he was brutal in his younger days,” Danino was quoted as saying. “We are not demonising Akbar or Aurangzeb, but we have to show these rulers had their limitations and committed cruel deeds.”

Also read: India’s complex history cannot be wished away through textbook revisions – it must be confronted