Mughals

NCERT Class 8 book calls Babur 'ruthless', Akbar's rule 'brutal, tolerant'

The new NCERT Class 8 book describes Mughal ruler Babur as a ruthless conqueror, Akbar's reign as brutal yet tolerant, and highlights resistance by Marathas, Sikhs, Rajputs, and tribal communities

SC trashes plea by woman who asks top court to give her Red Fort back

The petition was filed by Sultana Begum, who said she was the widow of Bahadur Shah Zafar's great-grandson. She claimed her family lost the Red Fort after the 1857 revolt

Who was Aurangzeb, 17th-century Mughal ruler who remains controversial?

While popular narratives describe Aurangzeb's policies as intolerant towards non-Islamic faiths, some historians argue they were more politically motivated

SP MLA Abu Azmi gets anticipatory bail in Aurangzeb remarks case

A Mumbai court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi in a case filed against him for remarks praising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb after he submitted the comments were not made to insult any personality or hurt religious sentiments. His pre-arrest bail plea was allowed by Additional Sessions Judge V G Raghuwanshi. A reasoned court order was not available yet. Seeking anticipatory bail, Azmi, suspended from the Maharashtra legislative assembly till March 26, submitted in the court that his statements were made to the press "spontaneously without any premeditated intention to insult any personality or hurt the religious feelings of any person". While granting relief to the politician, the court imposed a set of conditions, which included furnishing a solvent surety bond of Rs 20,000. The court asked the opposition legislator to the visit south Mumbai's Marine drive police station, where the case was registered, for three days (on March 12, 13, 15) and ...

Taj Mahal not built by Shahjahan: PIL in HC demands correction of history

The plea further sought direction to the Archeological Survey of India to carry out an investigation about the age of the Taj Mahal including the existence of the palace of Raja Man Singh

NCERT textbook revision: Here's what has changed

According to media reports, the NCERT has carried out a ‘rationalisation’ exercise to reduce the curriculum load and help students recover from the learning setbacks caused by Covid.

It's a lie, chapters on Mughals not dropped, clarifies NCERT chief

The NCERT chief said that expert committees examined the books from standards 6-12 during Covid and recommended that if this chapter is dropped, it won't affect the knowledge of the children

NCERT's scrapping of chapter on Mughals, attempt to change history: Cong

The decision to drop lessons on Mughal courts from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) books is an attempt to change the nation's history, alleged Avinash Pandey, Congress's general secretary in-charge for Jharkhand on Monday. Boards which use NCERT textbooks which include CBSE are expected to be impacted by the decision. Uttar Pradesh has announced that government schools will adopt the NCERT's new class 12 history textbooks in which portions about Mughal courts have been removed from this academic session. As part of its "syllabus rationalisation" exercise last year, the NCERT, citing "overlapping" and "irrelevant" as reasons, dropped certain portions from the syllabus including lessons on Mughal courts from its class 12 textbooks. Pandey told mediapersons that party senior leader Rahul Gandhi has taken this issue seriously and Congress will oppose the move. Hitting out at Centre, Pandey said democracy is under threat in the country. He said the p

"Nobody's contribution should be removed," Shah on erasing Mughal history

Reacting sharply to allegations of erasing history of Mughals and changing the names of the cities associated with them,Shah has said that the BJP state governments have taken "well-thought decisions"

Assam CM accuses Left of distorting history, making it a tale of defeats

Alleging Left historians of distorted' Indian history by making it a tale of defeats and submissions, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday asserted that history should be rewritten to record the nation's victories. He also alleged that the Left ideology followers have been trying to divide the state along linguistic lines for decades and maintained that the people must defeat such attempts by embracing their "religious similarities". Addressing the 28th state convention of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) here, Sarma said, The Leftists have always tried to distort our history as they wanted to project Bharat as a defeated jati' (community). They overlook the kings and heroes who resisted and defeated Mughal attacks successfully and write only about those who were defeated, he claimed. He cited the examples of Guru Gobind Singh, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Durga Das Rathore and Lachit Borphukan who had successfully led campaigns against Mughal armies, and alleged tha

No one can stop us from rewriting history to free it from distortions: Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said no one can stop rewriting of history to free it from "distortions" as he urged academicians to research and write about 30 great Indian empires and 300 warriors who showed exemplary valour to fight for the motherland. The home minister said had it not been for Veer Lachit Barphukan, the Northeast would not have been a part of India. He was addressing a plenary session of the 400th birth anniversary celebrations of the legendary Ahom general. He protected not only Northeast India but the entire Southeast Asia from religious fanatic Aurangzeb, Shah said. The home minister asked Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to translate literary work on the life and times of Lachit Barphukan into 10 Indian languages, including Hindi, so that children can take inspiration from him. "I often come across complaints that our history has been distorted and tampered with. These allegations could be true. But who stops it from being corrected now? Who stop

A gastronomic journey through the North far removed from convention

Loya, the latest offering by Indian Hotels at Taj Palace, New Delhi, offers a confluence of flavours from the foothills of Himalayas, the fields of Punjab, the Gangetic plains, and snow-laden Kashmir

How the Nizams 'stole' Hyderabad: Understanding origins of Asaf Jah dynasty

Seven Nizams of the Asaf Jah dynasty ruled over Hyderabad state for over 224 years, from 1724 to 1948. Read to find out how they came to rule over the Deccan Plateau

The unsung victims of 1857

Rana Safvi offers an evocative translation of an account that recalled how Mughal royals, especially women, suffered after the exile of Bahadur Shah Zafar

Historians gave prominence to Mughals, not to Pandyas, Mauryas: Amit Shah

Most of the historians in India have given prominence in recording the history of Mughals only, ignoring the glorious rules of many empires like Pandyas, Mauryas, Guptas and Ahoms, Amit Shah said

History books have few lines on Prithviraj, lot about Mughals: Akshay Kumar

Ahead of the release of his film Samrat Prithviraj, a historical action drama based on the warrior Rajput king, Kumar said it's sad we don't know about our own kings.

Mandir, masjid, truth, reconciliation

That temples were destroyed and mosques built is undisputed history. The past can't be changed, but we can't deny the wrongs of the past, either, before we consider reconciliation

Why have roads named for Mughals? Point is about despots, not religion

There were hundreds of other Indian names to choose from, but Nehru's Congress chose only to retain Mughal emperors' names.

The crumbling city

Book review of A Shadow of the Past: A Short Biography of Lucknow

History and the horse

Book review of The Tale of the Horse: A History of India on Horseback