Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
In its new Class 9 textbook Understanding Society: India and Beyond – Part 2, NCERT presents temples between 1000 and 1700 CE as more than places of worship: they could also manage land, provide employment and credit, support learning, and reinforce political authority. That account is reported by PTI; the textbook itself was not directly examined for this article, so its specific examples and wording are attributed to that report.
What roles did temples play, according to the reported NCERT account?
The chapter “Resistance and Resilience,” in a section titled “Temples: The Resilience of sacred sites,” describes temples as institutions involved in regional economic, social and political life. PTI reproduced this sentence as textbook wording:
“Temples functioned as central pillars of the region’s socio-economic and political life. These religious institutions evolved into major economic hubs that managed extensive land grants, provided employment to hundreds of specialised workers and served as financial institutions for local traders.”
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
In this account, temples’ religious purpose coexisted with practical institutional functions. Land grants could support temple activity and connect patrons to local communities; specialist workers and traders formed part of the surrounding economy. The report gives no specific employment count or underlying dataset, so “hundreds” should be read as the textbook’s general description, not a measured figure.
#1 Best Overall
Land, work and credit
Management of land grants, employment and lending are the clearest economic functions in the reported passage. A separate study by Cynthia Talbot describes thirteenth-century South Indian temples as places of redistribution, employment and lending, while examining links between royal donations and political relationships. That regional evidence offers historical context, but does not establish that every temple across India performed these functions alike.
Taxes, penalties and local authority
PTI also reports that the chapter attributes some local tax collection and quasi-judicial authority to temples. These are claims about certain institutions and circumstances, not proof that temples everywhere operated as courts or tax authorities.
How could temples support political authority?
According to the chapter as reported, rulers’ association with deities and their patronage of temples could help present political rule as legitimate. PTI reproduced this textbook sentence:
“The deities of these temples were regarded as protectors of the state and its people. In some cases, the deity was regarded as the ruler while the actual ruler governed as the deity’s deputy.”
The report gives three examples from the textbook: Odisha’s Gajapati rulers called themselves the “Rauta” (deputy) of Jagannath; Jaipur’s Kachhwaha rulers governed on behalf of Govind Dev Ji; and Kota’s Rajput rulers regarded themselves as representatives of Rama. These are examples relayed by PTI, rather than independently verified here.
Historical scholarship also describes this connection in particular contexts. Arjun Appadurai’s study of South India from 1350 to 1700 argues that Sri Vaishnava temples linked ritual and economic transactions between warrior-kings from outside Tamil country and local sectarian leaders. A peer-reviewed study of royal gifts in the Vijayanagara context likewise considers temple landholding, employment and markets alongside the political relationships expressed through ritual giving. These studies illuminate regional patterns; neither makes a single model applicable to the entire subcontinent or period.
Rank #4
Construction and restoration as political expression
PTI says the chapter discusses the Jagat Shiromani Temple at Amer and the Jagdish Temple built by Maharana Jagat Singh in Udaipur as examples of temple construction or restoration. The report attributes to the textbook the interpretation that scholars viewed Jagat Singh’s architectural projects as a political and religious response to Mughal authority. That interpretation is presented here as the textbook’s reported account, not as an uncontested conclusion.
Temples as places of learning and culture
The reported 2026 chapter also describes temples as settings for education, culture and artistic traditions. Its wording, reproduced by PTI, is:
Best Value
“Beyond their spiritual and religious functions, temples facilitated social integration and served as centre of education and culture, where artistic traditions such as Bharatnatyam and many other art forms were preserved. They also exercised quasi-judicial authority, collecting local taxes and administering legal penalties.”
An official NCERT textbook chapter for 2024–25 provides an earlier point of comparison: it says temples, mathas, Jain basadis and Buddhist viharas served as sources of learning, and that education continued in temples during the medieval period. That supports the broad learning role, but does not independently confirm every cultural or artistic example attributed to the 2026 textbook.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the claims without overgeneralizing
“Temples in medieval India” covers many centuries and regions. The studies cited above focus on South India or Vijayanagara, while the textbook examples reported by PTI include Odisha, Jaipur and Kota. Temple functions and relationships with rulers could differ across those settings; evidence for one region should not automatically be treated as a rule for all India.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
- Separate the source types: the specific claims about the new chapter and its examples come through PTI’s October 1, 2026 report; the historical studies offer interpretations grounded in particular contexts.
- Keep the scope attached to each example: Appadurai’s discussion concerns South India from 1350 to 1700, and the royal-gifts article concerns Vijayanagara—not every temple from 1000 to 1700.
- Distinguish a possible function from a universal one: land management, lending, employment or quasi-judicial authority may describe some temples without describing them all.
The precise wording and full treatment of particular episodes in the new textbook cannot be confirmed from the PTI account alone; consult the book itself when an exact quotation or detailed historical claim matters.
Quick Recap
Sources
- Hindustan Times/PTI, October 1, 2026: report on the NCERT textbook
- Arjun Appadurai, “The Autonomy of the Political in Hindu Thought,” on South Indian temple networks, 1350–1700
- Cynthia Talbot, “Temples, Donors, and Gifts: Patterns of Patronage in Thirteenth-Century South India”
- Peer-reviewed study of royal gifts and temples in the Vijayanagara context
- NCERT 2024–25 textbook chapter on education and religious institutions
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
