Foreign Travellers and Their Accounts
~9 min read
- Ancient: Megasthenes (Mauryan), Fa-Hien (Gupta), Hiuen Tsang (Harsha).
- Medieval: Al-Biruni (Mahmud of Ghazni), Ibn Battuta (Muhammad bin Tughlaq), Marco Polo (Pandya coast).
- Mughal: Bernier, Tavernier, Manucci, Sir Thomas Roe, Hawkins.
Foreign travellers' accounts are major primary sources for Indian history. NDA tests who came when, whom they met, and what they wrote.
Ancient and Medieval
| Traveller | Period | Met | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megasthenes | ~302 BCE | Chandragupta Maurya (Seleucus's ambassador) | Indica (surviving only in fragments) |
| Fa-Hien (Faxian) | ~405-411 CE | Chandragupta II | Fo-Kuo-Ki (Record of Buddhist Kingdoms) |
| Hiuen Tsang (Xuanzang) | ~629-645 CE | Harshavardhana | Si-Yu-Ki (Records of the Western Regions) |
| I-Tsing (Yijing) | ~671-695 CE | Nalanda monks | Wrote on Nalanda University |
| Al-Biruni | ~1017-1030 CE | Came with Mahmud of Ghazni | Kitab-ul-Hind / Tarikh-al-Hind — earliest detailed account of Indian sciences and customs by foreigner |
| Marco Polo | ~1292-94 CE | Pandya kingdom (south India) | The Travels of Marco Polo |
| Ibn Battuta | ~1333-47 CE | Muhammad bin Tughlaq (Sultan of Delhi) | Rihla — Moroccan scholar; appointed Qazi of Delhi |
| Abdur Razzak | ~1442-45 CE | Devaraya II of Vijayanagara | Persian envoy; described Hampi's wealth |
| Nicolo de' Conti | ~1420s | Vijayanagara | Italian merchant; account of Hampi |
Vijayanagara & Mughal Era
| Traveller | Period | Met | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domingo Paes | 1520s | Krishnadeva Raya (Vijayanagara) | Portuguese; detailed Hampi descriptions |
| Fernão Nuniz | 1530s | Vijayanagara | Portuguese; chronicler of Sangama dynasty |
| Captain Hawkins | 1608-13 | Jahangir | First English ambassador; English language teacher in Mughal court |
| Sir Thomas Roe | 1615-19 | Jahangir | James I's envoy. Got trading rights for English East India Company |
| Francois Bernier | 1656-68 | Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb | French physician. Wrote on Mughal society, agrarian system |
| Jean-Baptiste Tavernier | 1641-67 (six trips) | Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb | French jeweller. Travels include Kohinoor mention |
| Niccolao Manucci | 1656-1717 | Aurangzeb's reign | Italian; wrote Storia do Mogor |
Key Specific Points
- Megasthenes on Indian society (per Indica): 7 castes/classes — philosophers, farmers, soldiers, herdsmen, artisans, magistrates, councillors.
- Fa-Hien described Pataliputra's grandeur and the gentle nature of the Gupta administration.
- Hiuen Tsang studied at Nalanda for 5 years. Wrote about every major kingdom of 7th-century India and Central Asia.
- Al-Biruni learned Sanskrit, studied Indian texts. Compared Indian and Greek philosophy.
- Ibn Battuta served Muhammad bin Tughlaq as Qazi. Sent as envoy to China (with shipwreck on the way).
- Bernier argued that Mughal land tenure (no private property) was the source of Asian "despotism" and economic backwardness — a theme later picked up by Marx.
NDA PYQ Examples
Q: Hiuen Tsang visited India during the reign of:
(a) Chandragupta II (b) Harshavardhana (c) Akbar (d) Aurangzeb
Answer: (b) Harshavardhana — 629-645 CE.
Q: Kitab-ul-Hind was written by:
(a) Ibn Battuta (b) Al-Biruni (c) Megasthenes (d) Bernier
Answer: (b) Al-Biruni.
Q: Sir Thomas Roe came to India as ambassador of:
(a) Queen Elizabeth I (b) King James I (c) Charles I (d) Cromwell
Answer: (b) King James I — to Jahangir's court.
Q: Rihla was written by:
(a) Marco Polo (b) Ibn Battuta (c) Fa-Hien (d) Hiuen Tsang
Answer: (b) Ibn Battuta — Moroccan traveller.
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NDA-pattern items on Foreign Travellers and Their Accounts with answer keys and explanations.
Start Free Mock TestFrequently Asked Questions
Why are foreign travellers' accounts important?
They give an outsider's perspective — sometimes recording details Indians took for granted. Especially valuable when indigenous records are scarce (e.g., Mauryan period). Megasthenes, Fa-Hien, Hiuen Tsang give us our richest pictures of ancient Indian society.
Which traveller learned Sanskrit?
Al-Biruni (973-1048) — Persian polymath who came with Mahmud of Ghazni. Mastered Sanskrit; translated Indian works into Arabic and Greek works into Sanskrit. His Kitab-ul-Hind remains an unparalleled medieval Indian ethnography.
What did Ibn Battuta do in India?
Moroccan scholar (1333-47). Served Muhammad bin Tughlaq as Qazi (judge) of Delhi for 7 years. Later sent as envoy to China — shipwrecked en route, returned to India. His Rihla is a vivid first-person account of 14th-century India.
Who is the main French traveller to Mughal India?
Two main ones — Francois Bernier (physician, 1656-68) and Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (jeweller, six trips between 1641-67). Both wrote influential accounts of Mughal society.
What did Megasthenes write?
Indica, an ethnographic account of Mauryan India (~302 BCE). The original is lost; we know it only through extensive quotations in Strabo, Pliny, Arrian, Diodorus. Main source for Mauryan administration.