Indian academic history construction has actually been a very European academic history construction -sharing a common drive to focus on and coopt those parts of non-European history that can be stretched to fit European political, religious goals. All that doesnt fit is trashed.
European history making is obsessed with ancient Egypt for example, but it obsesses more on Amenhotep IV because they hope to put him in an essentially medieval post-Roman imperial imperialist religious frame of continuity with future Abrahamic trajectory to Christianity.
Modern Europe absolutely excludes anything on the African continent as its own - it can at best be a "colony" of inferior subjects, but never one of its own: one of the reasons Europe never took root in colonies where it cdnt effectively exterminate the natives.
Yet the Pharaohs, especially any of the more "imperialistic" ones who projected power over neighbours - are somehow suddenly "Mediterranean", in a way "South Asian" is slyly used - and we are reminded of their link to Moshe's ideology to come.
Any aspect of ancient Egypt, or the vast swathe of "not-Europe" constructed outside the in-reality-always-vague eastern/southern frontier of "Europe" is always only interesting to study if it helps in justifying the "righteous" dominance of imperial/colonial/Xtian Europe.
Whatever in "not-Europe" that doesnt fit this overarching justification framework for European imperialist religious/political interests - is to be discarded, or if impossible to discard, vilified or demonized to prevent them being explored for alternative interpretations.
Indian academic history making has actually followed the European agenda: it has systematically tried to whitewash/elevate Islam/Xtianity's record on the subcontinent, and denigrate/demonize/trash its non-Islamic/non-Xtian/non-European past.
A galling aspect of Indian academic history making has been its trivializing/demonizing or even stubborn blocking of explorations that wdnt serve the European religious political imperial project. And this has fatally shaped the institutional ideological foundations of the state.
Ideology, culture, faith, and history -are inseparable from foundations of nationhood and state: inseparable from politics and economy. When that connection is got wrong, everything flounders. Temple destructions or jihadi attacks are just a side effect of the fundamental defect.
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