Central Asian invaders came to India to spread, "by force of violence if necessary, their own versions of their religion", the NCERT’s Class VIII history textbook says.
The book, Exploring Society: India and Beyond, says the jizya, a tax paid by non-Muslims towards protection and exemption from military service, incentivised conversion to Islam.
Some historians questioned the evidence for these "communal interpretations" of historical events.
Central Asian invaders "were drawn to India not only for her reputed riches and for territorial ambitions, but also often to spread, by force of violence if necessary, their own versions of their religion", the book says.
It says Delhi sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji attacked Hindu centres such as those in Srirangam, Madurai, Chidambaram, and possibly Rameswaram.
"This period (Delhi Sultanate) also witnessed numerous attacks on sacred or revered images in Buddhist, Jain and Hindu temples… motivated not just by plunder but also by iconoclasm," the book says.
On the jizya, it says: "In practice, depending on the ruler, this discriminatory tax would be a source of economic burden and public humiliation, and formed a financial and social incentive for subjects to convert to Islam."
It cites the memoirs of Timur, who invaded India in 1398, to say his twofold objective was to wage "war with the infidels and to gain something by plundering the wealth of the infidels".
Mughal emperor Akbar’s rule is portrayed as a blend of brutality and tolerance. At Chittor fort, the book says, Akbar ordered the massacre of some 30,000 civilians, and the surviving women and children were enslaved.
It says Akbar’s message of victory read: "We have succeeded in occupying a number of forts and towns belonging to the infidels and have established Islam there. With the help of our bloodthirsty sword, we have erased the signs of infidelity from their minds and have destroyed temples in those places and also all over Hindustan."
The book adds that Akbar later welcomed Rajput and regional leaders into his court, abolished the jizya, and promoted the doctrine of sulh-i-kul — "peace with all" or the tolerance of all faiths.
The book adds a word of caution: "…It is important to keep in mind that we, today, bear no responsibility for actions of individuals hundreds of years ago."
Jitendra Meena, assistant professor of history at Shyam Lal College, Delhi, said: "The writers have given communal interpretations to historical events that cannot be established by facts. Where is the evidence that spreading religion was the intention of the Central Asian invaders?"
He said Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked mosques apart from temples, and contested the claim that jizya incentivised conversion to Islam. He said there was no evidence that Akbar’s Chittor massacre had religious motives.