NCERT Defends Withdrawal Of 1759 Maratha Empire Map From Class 8 Textbook After Jaisalmer Royals & Historians Object

Mumbai: The controversial map depicting the 1759 extent of the Maratha Empire in the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)'s Class 8 history textbook was problematic because of its sweeping generalisations, the organisation said last week in its reply to a query by a Mumbai resident.

Bandra Resident Filed Plea to Restore the Map in Textbook

Visit tr-sport.click for more information.

​In its reply to Vinod Dsouza, a resident of Bandra who filed a plea asking the government to restore the map, NCERT stated that objections had been raised by scholars, historians, and social groups over the inclusion of the Jaisalmer region of Rajasthan within the Maratha Empire in a map dated 1759.

In view of the controversy and the competing historical claims, the council constituted a committee on 11 August 2025 to examine the matter in detail.

Eminent Historians and Maratha Scholar Served on the Panel

​NCERT said that the panel was chaired by Professor Raghuvendra Tanwar, Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and Emeritus Professor of History at Kurukshetra University. Other members included historians and academicians from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Kurukshetra University, and NCERT, as well as noted Maratha history scholar Gajanan Bhaskar Mehendale.

​NCERT stated that the committee held two meetings to deliberate on the issue. During the first meeting in August 2025, members reportedly found the map “problematic” due to what were described as sweeping generalisations.

Second Meeting in October 2025 Recommended Temporary Withholding

A second meeting was held in October 2025, although Mehendale was unable to attend following his demise. The members present recommended that the map be temporarily withheld while the Hindi and Urdu editions of the textbook were in the printing stage.

'Action Should Be Taken': Sanjay Shirsat Alleges AIMIM Link In TCS Case, Claims Nida Khan Was Given Shelter In Sambhajinagar

​Subsequently, on 29 December 2025, the committee chairperson formally recommended that the disputed map be withdrawn altogether, NCERT added.

​The map in the revised textbook released in July 2025 shows the extent of the Maratha Empire stretching from Thanjavur in the south to Peshawar, and from Cuttack on the east coast to Rajputana in the west, including Jaisalmer.

It is reported that members of the erstwhile royal family of Jaisalmer objected to the map, calling it 'historically misleading'. This claim has been countered by descendants of the families that created the Maratha confederacy in the 18th century. Some members of the Maratha families filed a petition in the Bombay High Court last week opposing the withdrawal of the map.

Your voice matters. If you have a community story, issue, or inspiring local experience to share, send it to [email protected] and be a part of the conversation.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/

Read full story at source