The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) released a new Class 9 social‑science textbook, “Understanding Society India and Beyond – Part 2,” on Tuesday, six months after the academic year began. The book, which follows the first part issued in June, contains a chapter titled “Resistance and Resilience (1000‑1700 CE).” Within that chapter a section called “Temples: The Resilience of Sacred Sites” examines how temples shaped the region’s socio‑economic and political life during the first millennium and a half.
According to the textbook, temples were central pillars of society. They evolved into major economic hubs, managing extensive land grants, providing employment for specialised workers, and acting as financial institutions for local traders. Rulers used temple patronage to strengthen their political legitimacy, while the temples themselves offered social integration, education and culture, and preserved artistic traditions such as Bharatanatyam.
The text also describes temples as quasi‑judicial bodies that collected local taxes and administered legal penalties. Deities were seen as protectors of the state, and in some cases the deity was regarded as the ruler, with the actual ruler acting as the deity’s deputy—examples include the Gajapati rulers of Odisha who called themselves the ‘Rauta’ of Jagannath, the Kachhwaha rulers of Jaipur who governed on behalf of Govindadeva, and the Rajput rulers of Kota who saw themselves as representatives of Rama.
The textbook notes that many temples were plundered or destroyed from the 11th century onward, especially during the Ghaznavid and Ghurid invasions, and that some were converted into mosques. It highlights continued construction and restoration projects, citing the Jagat Shiromani Temple at Amer and the Jagdish Temple built by Maharana Jagat Singh in Udaipur as expressions of religious and political assertion. The book contrasts these with the construction of the Jama Masjid in Delhi under Shah Jahan, noting that Maharana Jagat Singh’s projects were viewed by scholars as a religious and political response to Mughal authority.
