12 ms·

There's a difference between what history textbooks/syllabuses teach, and the history that you learn from your parents, amar chitra kathas, films, and even your

by msravi 9y ago

There's a difference between what history textbooks/syllabuses teach, and the history that you learn from your parents, amar chitra kathas, films, and even your teachers. The whitewashing happens in the syllabus and textbooks, but fortunately, it's very difficult to whitewash the collective memory of a society that has been subject to a brutal rule and that has been transferring knowledge from generation to generation by word of mouth. Also, it's pretty hard to hide the clearly visible signs of destruction of idols, temples, and other hindu architecture, so a society would need to suffer from an extreme case of cognitive dissonance to accept what's in our history texts as truth.

sirtaj 9y ago
Is there some reference you can point to about this whitewashing in the textbooks? Because I don't recall it being so.
- msravi 9y ago
  Yes, of course. Just get the NCERT history texts of Grade 6 and 7[1]. Grade 6 deals with ancient india till Harsha (6xx AD). Grade 7 starts with Delhi Sultanate (12xx AD). 600 years of history that included the brutalism of Ghazni and Ghori gone. Poof. Just like that. 1. https://www.books4jobs.com/ncert-books-history-class-6-12-ias-examination/ https://www.books4jobs.com/ncert-books-history-class-6-12-ia...
  - msravi 9y ago
    Also, try reading the account of historians of the period and compare the description of brutality - mountains of skulls, 100,000 infidels (taken as slaves) put to death overnight, etc. with the description in your favorite history text which probably says "Timur ransacked Delhi".
  - sirtaj 9y ago
    Opened the Class 7 book, immediately found multiple references to Ghazni, one to Ghori. For perspective, Maharaja Ranjit Singh also gets one passing mention. So I guess I'm not seeing the systematic effort so far; perhaps there is more in other textbooks but my attention span is limited.
    - msravi 9y ago
      Compare: Noon had not arrived when the Musulmans had wreaked their vengeance on the infidel enemies of God, killing 15,000 of them, spreading them like a carpet over the ground, and making them food for beasts and birds of prey. ...and twice that value was obtained from the necks of those of his relatives who were taken prisoners, or slain, and had become the food of the mouths of hyenas and vultures. God also bestowed upon his friends such an amount of booty as was beyond all bounds and all calculation, including five hundred thousand slaves, beautiful men and women. with... (ncert text) One of the best known of such rulers is Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, Afghanistan. He ruled from 997 to 1030, and extended control over parts of Central Asia, Iran and the north-western part of the subcontinent. He raided the subcontinent almost every year – his targets were wealthy temples, including that of Somnath, Gujarat. Much of the wealth Mahmud carried away was used to create a splendid capital city at Ghazni. He was interested in finding out more about the people he conquered, and entrusted a scholar named al-Biruni to write an account of the subcontinent. This Arabic work, known as the Kitab-al Hind, remains an important source for historians. He consulted Sanskrit scholars to prepare this account.
      - sirtaj 9y ago
        Sorry, the former is simply too graphic for a textbook intended for 11/12-year-olds, and I'm not sure why you chose the latter passage vs: "During his campaigns in the subcontinent [Ghazni] also attacked the temples of defeated kings and looted their wealth and idols. Sultan Mahmud was not a very important ruler at that time. But by destroying temples – especially the one at Somnath – he tried to win credit as a great hero of Islam. In the political culture of the Middle Ages most rulers displayed their political might and military success by attacking and looting the places of worship of defeated rulers."
        msravi 9y ago
        I chose the passage to highlight the gross distortion: "He was interested in finding out more about the people he conquered, and entrusted a scholar named al-Biruni to write an account of the subcontinent" No. He was not interested in finding out more about the people he conquered. The biographical works of his time are very clear - he wanted the loot and he wanted to get rid of the infidels and idol worshippers.

by msravi 9y ago

sirtaj 9y ago

Is there some reference you can point to about this whitewashing in the textbooks? Because I don't recall it being so.

msravi 9y ago
Yes, of course. Just get the NCERT history texts of Grade 6 and 7[1]. Grade 6 deals with ancient india till Harsha (6xx AD). Grade 7 starts with Delhi Sultanate (12xx AD). 600 years of history that included the brutalism of Ghazni and Ghori gone. Poof. Just like that. 1. https://www.books4jobs.com/ncert-books-history-class-6-12-ias-examination/ https://www.books4jobs.com/ncert-books-history-class-6-12-ia...
- msravi 9y ago
  Also, try reading the account of historians of the period and compare the description of brutality - mountains of skulls, 100,000 infidels (taken as slaves) put to death overnight, etc. with the description in your favorite history text which probably says "Timur ransacked Delhi".
- sirtaj 9y ago
  Opened the Class 7 book, immediately found multiple references to Ghazni, one to Ghori. For perspective, Maharaja Ranjit Singh also gets one passing mention. So I guess I'm not seeing the systematic effort so far; perhaps there is more in other textbooks but my attention span is limited.
  - msravi 9y ago
    Compare: Noon had not arrived when the Musulmans had wreaked their vengeance on the infidel enemies of God, killing 15,000 of them, spreading them like a carpet over the ground, and making them food for beasts and birds of prey. ...and twice that value was obtained from the necks of those of his relatives who were taken prisoners, or slain, and had become the food of the mouths of hyenas and vultures. God also bestowed upon his friends such an amount of booty as was beyond all bounds and all calculation, including five hundred thousand slaves, beautiful men and women. with... (ncert text) One of the best known of such rulers is Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, Afghanistan. He ruled from 997 to 1030, and extended control over parts of Central Asia, Iran and the north-western part of the subcontinent. He raided the subcontinent almost every year – his targets were wealthy temples, including that of Somnath, Gujarat. Much of the wealth Mahmud carried away was used to create a splendid capital city at Ghazni. He was interested in finding out more about the people he conquered, and entrusted a scholar named al-Biruni to write an account of the subcontinent. This Arabic work, known as the Kitab-al Hind, remains an important source for historians. He consulted Sanskrit scholars to prepare this account.
    - sirtaj 9y ago
      Sorry, the former is simply too graphic for a textbook intended for 11/12-year-olds, and I'm not sure why you chose the latter passage vs: "During his campaigns in the subcontinent [Ghazni] also attacked the temples of defeated kings and looted their wealth and idols. Sultan Mahmud was not a very important ruler at that time. But by destroying temples – especially the one at Somnath – he tried to win credit as a great hero of Islam. In the political culture of the Middle Ages most rulers displayed their political might and military success by attacking and looting the places of worship of defeated rulers."
      - msravi 9y ago
        I chose the passage to highlight the gross distortion: "He was interested in finding out more about the people he conquered, and entrusted a scholar named al-Biruni to write an account of the subcontinent" No. He was not interested in finding out more about the people he conquered. The biographical works of his time are very clear - he wanted the loot and he wanted to get rid of the infidels and idol worshippers.