NCERT drops French, Russian Revolutions from Class IX books

The integrated textbook, combining history, geography and political science, includes a new chapter - "Early Humans and Beginning of Human Civilisation", which traces human evolution from hunting and gathering to agriculture. It covers the Mesopotamian, Harappan, Egyptian and Chinese civilisations, with a detailed account of Sumerian society, including its irrigation systems, architecture and social organisation.

Editorial: Textbook politics : NCERT’s credibility at stake

The textbook also introduces students to the four Vedas — Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda — and their broad purpose.

A chapter, "State and Society upto 1000 CE", discusses the evolution of the varna and jati systems. It states that early Vedic texts do not indicate a rigid birth-based social order and that social identity was shaped by factors such as occupation, geography, language and kinship. It adds that occupations remained flexible and hereditary divisions had not yet become firmly established.

“In previous grades, we learned about the varna system and its fourfold structure — Brahmaņas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Early Vedic texts do not indicate any fixed social status strictly based on birth. Instead, it is generally agreed that social identity was shaped by several complex and overlapping factors, including ethnicity, subgroups, geographic region, village affiliation, gotra (a kinship-based subgroup), language, and, especially, occupation. At this stage, occupations remained flexible and mobile, and the idea of strict hereditary occupations had not yet become firmly established,” the textbook says.

The 16 Mahajanapadas, powerful and influential ancient Indian kingdoms that flourished in India between the 6th and 4th centuries, have also been included.

The book also highlights the participation of women in scholarly learning during the Vedic period.

In addition, the revised curriculum incorporates Indian knowledge systems, including the concept of Panchamahabhutas — earth, water, fire, air and space — to explain traditional philosophical ideas about the composition of the world.

References to Kautilya’s Arthashastra and Mahabharata have been made in the book.