NCERT Class 9 book links kings’ swords to goddess traditions

A new NCERT Class 9 Social Science textbook recounts traditional accounts linking the swords of three prominent rulers — Bastar’s Annamaraja, Vijayanagara ruler Kumara Kampana and Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji — to Hindu goddesses.

The references appear in Understanding Society — India and Beyond (Part 2), the second volume of NCERT’s new Social Science textbook for Class 9, released on Tuesday. The book places the accounts in the context of the longstanding tradition of worshipping goddesses and invoking forms of Shakti as protectors during periods of conflict.

The book’s section on the Bhakti tradition states that goddesses such as Kali, Durga and Bhavani were traditionally invoked by kings during warfare. It says Annamaraja, the ruler of Bastar, is believed to have received his sword from Manikyadevi, also identified with Danteshvari.

It also recounts the traditional belief that Kumara Kampana of the Vijayanagara Empire used a goddess-given sword in his campaign against Sultanate forces at Madurai. Shivaji, the textbook adds, is traditionally believed to have obtained a sword from goddess Tulja Bhavani.

The accounts feature in a chapter titled Resistance and Resilience, which examines successive invasions of the Indian subcontinent and the ways different kingdoms and communities responded to them.

According to the textbook, the subcontinent witnessed successive invasions from the 7th century, driven by factors including territorial expansion and religious motives. It discusses resistance by the Rajputs, Ahom Kingdom, Vijayanagara Empire, Marathas, Sikhs, Jats and other groups against various invading and expanding powers, including the Mughals, Turks and European forces.

The chapter also places these conflicts alongside the religious and cultural traditions that shaped Indian society. A separate section traces the evolution of the Bhakti tradition between the 11th and 17th centuries, describing it as a period of significant religious and spiritual change.

“Bhakti — a tradition of personal devotion to the divine — was expressed through devotional hymns in local languages,” the textbook says, adding that the use of regional languages strengthened shared identities and fostered solidarity.

The second volume of the Class 9 textbook comes around six months after the start of the new academic session, with half-yearly examinations already underway or completed in several schools. The first volume was released in June.

NCERT Director Dinesh Saklani said the new Social Science curriculum is intended to develop students’ analytical and discursive abilities while encouraging critical inquiry, intercultural understanding and responsible participation in civic and social life.

“It is in this spirit that Understanding Society: India and Beyond, the Grade 9 Social Science textbook for the Secondary Stage, has been conceptualised and developed,” Saklani said in the foreword.