The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) recently faced major backlash after a Class 8 Social Science showed an inaccurate historical map of the Maratha Empire. Following criticism from the members of royal families and BJP leaders, the NCERT withdrew the inaccurate map from the Social Science textbook titled ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond Part-I’.
Chaitanya Raj Singh Bhati, the 44th Maharawal of Jaisalmer, shared the development through a post on X on Wednesday (March 18, 2026).
NCERT removes controversial map from Class 8 textbook after historical objections.https://t.co/RwtLJUBpYI https://t.co/VeBqK5kUjc
— Chaitanya Raj Singh (@crsinghbhati) March 17, 2026
Welcoming the NCERT’s decision to remove the map, Bhati wrote on X, “…We are pleased to learn that the aforementioned controversial map has been removed from NCERT’s recently published Hindi digital edition (November 2025). This is a welcome step. We hope that in the future as well, special attention will be given to the authenticity of facts and historical accuracy during curriculum development…”
NCERT की कक्षा 8 की सामाजिक विज्ञान पाठ्यपुस्तक (जुलाई 2025, संस्करण) में प्रकाशित विवादित नक्शे को लेकर हमने पुरजोर तरीके से अपनी आपत्ति दर्ज करवाई थी। जैसलमेर सहित संपूर्ण राजस्थान को मराठा साम्राज्य का हिस्सा दर्शाना न केवल भ्रामक था, बल्कि ऐतिहासिक तथ्यों के विपरीत भी था। इस… pic.twitter.com/aV3Sd7GGNV
— Chaitanya Raj Singh (@crsinghbhati) March 18, 2026
As per reports, the controversial map was featured under Unit 3 of the July 2025 edition of the textbook. The map depicted the expanse of the Maratha Empire in 1759, and included Bikaner, Bundi and Jaisalmer as part of it. However, members of former royal families and several BJP leaders objected to the depiction of the Maratha Empire, calling it incorrect.
Huge backlash from Rajasthan’s royals and BJP leaders
Bhati had raised the objection against the controversial map last year in August 2025. He flagged the issue in a post on X, calling it an apparent “attempt to tarnish the sacrifices, sovereignty, and heroic saga” of Rajput kings. “In the authentic historical sources available regarding the Jaisalmer princely state, there is no mention anywhere of Maratha dominance, invasion, taxation, or suzerainty. On the contrary, it is clearly stated in our official chronicles as well that the Marathas never had any interference in the Jaisalmer princely state at any time,” Bhati wrote on X on August 4, 2025, urging the Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to take notice.
कक्षा 8 की NCERT की सामाजिक विज्ञान विषय पाठ्यपुस्तक (Unit 3, पृष्ठ संख्या 71) में दर्शाए गए मानचित्र में जैसलमेर को तत्कालीन मराठा साम्राज्य का भाग दर्शाया गया है, जो कि ऐतिहासिक रूप से भ्रामक, तथ्यहीन और गम्भीर रूप से आपत्तिजनक है।
— Chaitanya Raj Singh (@crsinghbhati) August 4, 2025
इस प्रकार की अपुष्ट और ऐतिहासिक साक्ष्यविहीन… pic.twitter.com/QOeG7c67I6
Soon, the members of other royal families of Rajasthan, BJP MP Mahima Kumari Mewar, MLA Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, Union minister Jitendra Singh of the erstwhile Alwar royal family, and Brigadier (retd) Bhupesh Singh Hada from Bundi, also objected to the wrong depiction of the Maratha Empire.
They submitted their objections to the central government, contending that the depiction in the map was not backed by historical evidence and misrepresented multiple regions of Rajasthan. They said that the distortion in the map could mislead the students about India’s regional history.
As a result, the NCERT removed the map from the digital edition of the Hindi textbook (November 2025 version). A footnote on the page reportedly states that a revised version of the map will be included in the next edition. However, the original map continues to appear in the English version of the textbook as of now.
