Map of Maratha empire missing from NCERT textbooks, Raigad's former MP complains to Dharmendra Pradhan

Sambhaji Chhtrapati, former president-nominated Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) chairperson, Raigad Development Authority, has written to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, protesting the exclusion of the map of Maratha Empire from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) school textbooks.

In a formal letter to the education minister, Chhatrapati expressed that exclusion of the Maratha Empire map is a serious issue that undermines the representation of India’s history. School students should not be deprived of an accurate account of one of the most significant chapters in the nation’s history, he added.

“It has come to my notice that the map of the Maratha Empire has been removed from NCERT textbooks without any clear and convincing justification. It is understood that certain objections were raised regarding the depiction of parts of Rajputana within the Maratha sphere of influence. However, such objections do not appear to be supported by the weight of credible historical evidence,” according to an official statement.

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'Reinstate Maratha Empire map in NCERT curriculum'

He stated that foreign cartographers have produced maps that clearly depicted the extensive reach of the Maratha Empire-from Agra in the north to Madurai in the south, and from Bengal in the east to Gujarat in the west, including large parts of Rajputana as falling within Maratha influence.

The Government of Maharashtra’s publication history of Maharashtra: Maratha Period Part 2 includes maps and documents evidence to support his claim, he stated.

Hence, the exclusion of the Maratha empire was “deeply concerning” regarding students’ awareness and knowledge on the most important chapters in India’s history, Chhatrapati said.

“As someone personally committed to the preservation of Maratha heritage-including through our work at Raigad Fort and the larger Maratha Military Landscapes initiative-I believe it is imperative that history be taught with balance, scholarship, and fidelity to fact,” he added.

The former chairman has urged the education minister to review the matter personally and ensure that the map of the Maratha Empire is reinstated in the NCERT curriculum in an academically accurate and contextually appropriate form.

“Our students deserve access to a complete and truthful account of India's past, drawn from authentic records and sound scholarship,” he concluded.