The NCERT announced the syllabus updates for the 2025-26 academic year on March 26, 2025.
Chapter on the Mughals and Delhi sultanate have been eliminated on social science textbook. In its place, new material has been added that deals with ancient Indian dynasties, Kumbh and the idea of sacred geography.
Specifically, the Class 12 book Themes of Indian History – Part II no longer includes the chapter “Kings and Chronicles: The Mughal Courts,” which covered the 16th and 17th centuries. Similarly, the revised Class 7 history book omits references to the Mughals and Delhi Sultanate, instead focusing on ancient Indian dynasties such as the Mauryas, Cholas, Pandyas, Cheras, and Satavahanas .
The newly published 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond' textbook its content about the Mughal and Delhi dynasties has been reduced and the details are not in-depth, especially regarding the Akbar, Khilji, Tughlaq, and Lodi dynasties. Rather, More details have been given about Mourya, Satavahanas, Shungas, etc.
A chapter titled "How the Land Becomes Sacred" explores pilgrimage sites and sacred geography, including the 12 Jyotirlingas, Char Dham Yatra, and Shakti Peethas. Emphasis on Indian ethos, with discussions on cultural heritage, traditions, and governance during ancient times.
These changes align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, focusing on Indian traditions and philosophies.
Reason for these syllabus changes
Alignment with NEP 2020:- The NEP 2020 emphasizes the inclusion of Indian culture, philosophy, and literature in the Indian education policy.
Focus on Ancient Indian Dynasties:- The purpose of the curriculum is to enhance knowledge about India's geography along with Indian dynasties and governance.
Streamlining Content:- NCERT officials say that an effort has been made to remove irrelevant and objectionable content from the syllabus.
Promoting Indian Ethos:- This includes Indian sacred geography, Indian culture, regional languages, pilgrimage sites, and cultural heritage.
Criticism of Historical Imbalance:- The argument for the capability of the curriculum is also that greater emphasis was placed on the Mughal rulers in the earlier syllabus, whereas the current curriculum aims to highlight indigenous empires.
Argumentative Comment:-
On one hand, it is correct to say that the Indian Empire was not given high status in the earlier curricula. Indian culture and dynasties such as Vijayanagar, Chola, Chauhan, etc., were not explained in detail. The old curricula did not include descriptions of Indian literature, Kumbh, or sacred geography, which is essential. Bringing these contributions to the forefront is a positive step toward creating a more inclusive narrative that goes beyond the Delhi-centric or Mughal-dominated perspective that was emphasized in older syllabus.
However, the concern arises when this shift is not additive but subtractive—removing or minimizing the Mughal dynasty’s role entirely. The Mughals were central to Indian history for over three centuries. Their contributions to architecture (Taj Mahal, Red Fort), administration (Mansabdari system), culture (fusion of Persian and Indian art), and language (Urdu) are undeniable. Omitting such a significant chapter of history risks distorting the reality of India’s composite cultural and historical identity.
It is inappropriate to remove or diminish the Mughal and Delhi Sultanate from the history books because it would alter our history, which goes against the educational system. Instead, the youth of India would be deprived of the knowledge of the Mughal Empire's history and would not gain complete understanding of our history.
Thus, while syllabus updates are necessary to reflect evolving perspectives and research, they must be done with scholarly integrity, inclusiveness, and without erasing pivotal chapters of history.
The overall NCERT curriculum promotes Indian culture and helps bring to the forefront those communities that have been overlooked from the perspective of imperial powers. Additionally, this curriculum describes customs, traditional beliefs, and sacred geographical locations.