'Historical mistake' in the NCERT book? Controversy over showing Jaisalmer as part of the Maratha Empire

Maharawal Chaitanya Raj Singh of Jaisalmer state has objected to showing Jaisalmer as part of the Maratha Empire in NCERT's 8th class social science book.

Controversy has once again arisen over the new NCERT books taught in schools across the country. This time the matter is related to history and objection has been raised on a map printed in the 8th class social science book. In this book, Jaisalmer has been shown as part of the Maratha Empire, over which King Chaitanya Raj Singh of Jaisalmer state has expressed strong displeasure.

He has described this "mistake" as not just a historical misconception, but an injustice to the heritage and glorious history of our ancestors. Writing a post on social media, he has demanded the Ministry of Education and NCERT to correct this mistake immediately.

What is the whole matter?

Chaitanya Raj Singh posted on a social media platform that he has shared a map of the NCERT social science book of class 8. This map shows the expansion of the Maratha Empire, in which Jaisalmer is also shown as a part of the empire. He has raised serious objection to this.

He has written that the map on page number 71 shows Jaisalmer under the Maratha Empire. This is not only historically misleading and incorrect, but also extremely objectionable. Such factless information is going to hurt our history and public sentiments.

Was Jaisalmer a part of the Maratha Empire?

Chaitanya Raj Singh claims that the Jaisalmer princely state was never a part of the Maratha Empire. He said that we have historical documents, records and folklore which confirm that the Marathas never interfered in Jaisalmer.

According to historians, Jaisalmer has been an independent Rajput princely state and had protected its borders in many wars. The influence of the Maratha Empire was mainly seen in Maharashtra, Central India and South India, while Jaisalmer was located in western Rajasthan and the administration there was different.

Direct appeal to the Education Minister

Chaitanya Raj Singh has advised not to take this issue lightly. He has demanded from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan that this historical mistake present in NCERT books should be corrected immediately. He wrote that this is not just a matter of a map, it is a matter of our historical truth, self-respect and giving correct information to the new generation. When the students of the country read from these books, such wrong information can create a wrong image in their minds.

Who is Chaitanya Raj Singh?

Chaitanya Raj Singh is the 44th Maharawal of Jaisalmer princely state. He comes from a royal heritage but he is also inclined towards modern education and politics. He has studied from Sanskrit School in New Delhi and then obtained a degree in Political Science from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London.

Questions raised again on NCERT

This is not the first time that questions have been raised about factual errors in NCERT books. There have been controversies on topics related to history in books many times before. Experts believe that when crores of students get education from these books, their credibility becomes most important.