NEW DELHI: The regime of Mahmud of Ghazni has been highlighted extensively in the Class VII Social Science Studies textbook (Part-2) released recently by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

The book also moves away from a North-centric narrative and showcasing the greatness of past dynasties in the Southern and Eastern parts of the country, said sources.

The textbook, titled Exploring Societies: India and Beyond, dwells on the period between the 6th and 12th centuries. It is in line with the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023.

TNIE was given access to the book. Unlike the previous edition, where the Turkish ruler Mahmud of Ghazni was allotted just one paragraph, a whole chapter has been devoted to him in the revised edition.

Chapter 4, titled Turning Tides: 11th and 12th centuries, deals extensively with the ruler and speaks of the destruction, plunder, and slaughter of tens of thousands of Indian civilians. “Numerous prisoners were captured, including children, who were later sold in the slave markets of Central Asia,” it said.

His biographers depicted him as “a powerful but cruel and ruthless general, keen not only to slaughter or enslave ‘infidels’ (Hindus, Buddhists, or Jains) but also to kill believers from rival sects of Islam.”

Mahmud later went to Gujarat and Somnath (present-day Saurashtra), which was a bustling seaport. “Despite strong resistance from the locals, after a few days of fighting Mahmud gained the upper hand, destroyed the Somnath Shiva temple, and looted its enormous treasures,” it said.

A noteworthy addition is the inclusion of dynasties whose contributions hardly found a place in textbooks in the past.