School textbooks have been updated with new details about the Indian invasion of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi — outlining the heavy toll exacted by his brutal campaigns. The National Council of Educational Research and Training unveiled its newly revamped Class VII social science books on Friday, expanding the section into six detailed pages.
According to reports, the newly updated textbooks include details about the many campaigns led by Mahmud of Ghazni in various parts of India and reveal the human cost of his invasions. The Ghaznavid ruler had amassed a massive empire ranging from modern-day Iran to India and even parts of central Asia. NCERT highlighted his invasions into Mathura, Kannauj, and the Somnath temple in Gujarat — also flagging his attempts to extend Islam into new areas.
‘A word of caution’
The books began with “a word of caution” for students — explaining that history often focused excessively on times of war and destruction. It also reiterated that nobody in the present was responsible for such historical events and noted that understanding history could help prevent similar events in the future.
“Our approach is that it is better to face them and analyse them to understand what made such developments possible and, hopefully, help avoid their recurrence in future. In addition, we should not forget that while past events cannot be erased or denied, it would be wrong to hold anyone responsible for them today,” Indian Express quoted the note as saying.
What has changed?
The older version of the textbook had carried only a short paragraph about Mahmud of Ghazni and his invasions. This has now been expanded to a six-page segment that outlines his 17 campaigns to India. It recounts how he defeated Hindu Shahi ruler Jayapala and later his son Anandapala, and highlights the use of fast cavalry attacks and mounted archers for warfare. It also narrates how Somnath temple in Gujarat fell after days of fighting and its subsequent rebuilding in the 1950s.