If you open the new history textbooks hitting Indian classrooms in 2025, you will notice a subtle but seismic shift. The suffix “The Great” – historically attached to Mughal Emperor Akbar and Mysore’s Tipu Sultan – has vanished.
According to RSS leader Sunil Ambekar, this isn’t an editing error. It is a deliberate “correction” of history to ensure the next generation knows about the “cruel deeds” that were previously glossed over.
But is this just politics, or is there historical merit to it? Here is the deep-dive story of how we got here, what actually changed in the books, and the complex reality behind the headlines.
1. The “Old” Narrative: Why Were They Called “Great”?
For decades, Indian history textbooks (based largely on the Nehruvian consensus) used the “Great” epithet for specific rulers who were seen as nation-builders.
Akbar the Great
The Case for Greatness: He didn’t just conquer; he consolidated. Akbar is credited with creating a unified administrative system (the Mansabdari system) and a revenue system (Zabt) that the British later copied.
The “Hero” Arc: His greatest legacy was secularism. He abolished the Jizya tax (a tax on non-Muslims), married Rajput princesses to forge alliances, and founded Din-i-Ilahi, a syncretic religion merging Islam and Hinduism.
Tipu Sultan (The Tiger of Mysore)
The Case for Greatness: He was the British Empire’s worst nightmare. Tipu fought four wars against the East India Company and died sword-in-hand defending his capital.
- The “Innovator” Arc: He is considered a pioneer of rocket artillery (the Mysore rockets were later adapted by the British for the Napoleonic wars) and introduced a new coinage and calendar system.
2. The “New” Narrative: What Do the 2025 Textbooks Say?
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has revised the content under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Here is exactly what has shifted:
The Removal: The titles “Akbar the Great” and “Tipu Sultan the Great” are deleted.
The Tone Shift:
Akbar: The new Class 7/8 textbooks (Exploring Society: India and Beyond) now describe his reign as a “blend of brutality and tolerance.”
The New Focus: The text explicitly highlights the Massacre of Chittor (1568). When Akbar conquered the Chittorgarh Fort, he ordered the execution of approximately 30,000 civilians. The new books quote Akbar’s own admission of brutality in his younger years to counter the “benevolent ruler” image.
Tipu Sultan: His chapters have been significantly “rationalized” (reduced). The narrative now includes references to his treatment of the people of Coorg (Kodagu) and Malabar, specifically focusing on forced conversions and temple destruction, challenging the “freedom fighter” label.
3. The Fact-Check: Balancing the “Great” vs. The “Cruel”
History is rarely black and white. Here is the complexity that a simple “Great” or “Tyrant” label often hides.
Case Study A: Akbar
The “Great” Fact vs The “Cruel” Fact
| The “Great” Fact | The “Cruel” Fact |
|---|---|
| Religious Tolerance: He abolished the pilgrimage tax and appointed Hindus like Raja Man Singh and Raja Todar Mal to the highest ranks of his court. | Chittor Massacre: The slaughter of 30,000 peasants in Chittor was a calculated act of terror meant to warn other Rajput kingdoms — a permanent stain on his legacy. |
| Cultural Hub: He commissioned Persian translations of the Mahabharata and Ramayana (Razmnama), enriching Indo-Persian literature. | Invader Identity: Critics argue that despite being born in India, he represented an imperial machine that displaced indigenous rule through violent conquest. |
Case Study B: Tipu Sultan
The “Great” Fact vs The “Cruel” Fact — Tipu Sultan
| The “Great” Fact | The “Cruel” Fact |
|---|---|
| Anti-Colonial Icon: He sought alliances with Napoleon Bonaparte and the Ottomans to expel the British. He refused to sign a “Subsidiary Alliance” (surrender), unlike the Nizam of Hyderabad. | Religious Persecution: Letters to his generals mention forced conversions in Calicut. The Kodavas (Coorg) and Syrian Christians record trauma from captivity and forced Islamization. |
| Modernizer: He built a state-controlled trading company and imposed a liquor ban to strengthen administrative discipline. | Temple Destruction: Though he donated to Sringeri Math when he needed astrological support, records also show temple destruction in enemy territories such as Malabar. |
4. The “Why” Now? The Battle for History
Why is this happening in 2025?
Because it is a clash of two different views of history.
- The Official Stance (RSS/Government): The argument is “De-colonization.” Supporters argue that the “Great” title was bestowed by colonial and Marxist historians who glorified Mughal rule while ignoring indigenous resistance (like the Ahoms or Marathas). They believe the new generation deserves a “truthful” account that doesn’t whitewash atrocities.
- The Critics’ Stance (Historians/Opposition): They argue this is “Saffronization.” Critics say removing “Great” from Akbar while keeping it for figures like Ashoka (who also massacred thousands in Kalinga before turning pacifist) shows a communal bias. They fear that reducing Mughal history to just “cruelty” erases centuries of cultural synthesis (architecture, food, language) that defined medieval India.
The Bottom Line
The books are moving away from “Great Man” history – where kings are lionized as heroes – toward a more “Complex History” approach (albeit with a specific political lean).
- Was Akbar Great? As an administrator and empire-builder, yes. As a humanist? It’s complicated, and, might probably be, “no.”
- Was Tipu Great? As a warrior against the British, absolutely. As a ruler to his non-Muslim subjects? The record is deeply divided. Again, probably a, “no.”
Samay’s Voice:
The text changes in 2025 essentially tell students: You can study their empires, but you don’t have to worship them.
This isn’t just a textbook edit; it is a long-overdue reclamation of our truth.
For decades, a distorted history born out of minority appeasement forced us to revere invaders like Akbar, Tipu Sultan, Khilji, and Babur – figures who were not nation-builders, but oppressors who looted our wealth, demolished our ancient temples, and massacred our ancestors in a relentless bid to Islamize Bharat.
The 2025 changes finally draw a line: we can study their empires as historical facts, but we must stop worshipping them as heroes.
The youth of a rising Bharat deserve role models who built this civilization, not those who tried to destroy it.
It is time our textbooks dedicated pages to the true legends whose wisdom is vital for the modern world – visionaries like Acharya Chanakya for statecraft and economics, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for military strategy and naval power, Maharana Pratap for unyielding resilience, Swami Vivekananda for global spiritual leadership, and Ahilyabai Holkar for administrative excellence. These are the roots we need to water.
The Mirror Image: The Cost of a Fabricated History
If you want to see the catastrophic failure of a society built on historical lies, look no further than Pakistan.
For decades, their state machinery has systematically brainwashed generations with a hallucinated version of reality. Their textbooks teach children that Pakistan won every war against India – turning the crushing defeats of 1965 and 1971 into tales of imaginary victory – while conveniently erasing the surrender of 93,000 soldiers in Dhaka.
But the deeper rot lies in their identity crisis. The average Pakistani is taught to disown their true lineage and delusionally claim descent from Mughals, Turks, and Arabs. They are made to worship the very invaders who massacred, raped, and forcefully converted their own forefathers.
By cutting ties with their actual roots and grafting themselves onto a foreign history, they have created a confused, rootless generation. When a nation’s entire foundation is built on hating its neighbor and denying its own ancestry, the result is inevitable: a radicalized youth, a collapsed economy, and a state that invests in terror rather than technology.
History is a compass; if you break it, you don’t just lose your past – you lose your future as well.
