NCERT's latest Class 7 social science textbook devotes significantly more space to the Ghaznavid invasions, offering an elaborate account of Mahmud of Ghazni's campaigns, his "plunder of temples," and his stated aim of spreading his version of Islam, compared to the previous edition.
The new book allocates a six-page section titled "The Ghaznavid Invasions." It lists Mahmud's 17 raids into the Indian subcontinent, describing the destruction of temples in Mathura and Kannauj and the demolition of the Somnath temple in Gujarat. Students are also informed that the present Somnath temple was rebuilt in 1950 and inaugurated the following year by then President Rajendra Prasad, followed by a question on why the reconstruction was funded entirely through public donations.
The chapter states that Mahmud's campaigns resulted in the "slaughter of tens of thousands of Indian civilians" and the enslavement of prisoners, including children, who were taken to Central Asian slave markets. Citing Mahmud's biographers, it portrays him as a powerful but "cruel and ruthless" commander who targeted "infidels"-Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains-as well as rival Islamic sects. The book also quotes court historian Al-Utbi and scholar Al-Biruni on Mahmud's destruction of temples and the removal of the Shivalinga from Somnath.
None of these details appeared in the earlier Class 7 history textbook, which contained only a brief paragraph stating that Mahmud attacked wealthy temples and carried away riches, motivated partly by religion.
Before the Ghaznavid section, the new book features a boxed "word of caution," similar to a note in the Class 8 textbook. It emphasises that historical records often highlight war and conquest more than peace, governance, or cultural achievements, and that historians worldwide have sometimes hesitated to discuss violent or "darker" episodes.
The chapter, "Turning Tides: 11th and 12th Centuries," goes on to discuss Muhammad Ghuri, his general Qutb-ud-din Aibak, and Aibak's commander Bakhtiyar Khilji. The new edition includes Khilji's destruction of Nalanda and Vikramashila-accounts missing in the old book-stating that he looted these major Buddhist centres and killed large numbers of monks. It adds that historians of Buddhism largely agree that this devastation hastened Buddhism's decline in India, with the Nalanda library believed to have burned for months.
The chapter concludes by noting that large parts of north India and the whole of south India remained outside the control of Turkic invaders, and that various Indian rulers occasionally united against them.
An earlier chapter tracing empires and kingdoms from the 6th to 10th centuries also introduces new sections on foreign incursions by the Hunas and Arabs. It mentions Muhammad bin Qasim's campaign in Sindh, quoting a 13th-century Persian source that describes his expedition as a religious duty. The text explains the medieval Islamic use of the term "infidel" and notes that the Arab conquest of Sindh had limited political and religious repercussions compared to other regions, with few institutional changes or mass conversions. These details, too, were absent in the previous textbook.
NCERT is currently rolling out revised textbooks aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023. New books for Classes 1 to 8 have been introduced.
Class 7 students will now use two integrated social science textbooks instead of the earlier three separate books for history, civics, and geography.