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Assess the importance of the accounts of the Chinese and Arab Travellers in the reconstruction of the history of India. (UPSC Mains-2018 GS Paper1)

Reconstruction of Indian history of the ancient and medieval era is a daunting task owing to lack of chronological records, and subjectivity in the interpretation of archaeological and literary sources. In this context, accounts of foreign travellers, who were eye witnesses to the events that occurred at that time, become an important source to corroborate other sources of history.

Chinese Accounts

Accounts of Fa-hien, Hsuan Tsang, and I-tsing have proved to be a valuable source of information on the Gupta period and the years following the end of Gupta rule. They provided vital information about:

  • Socio-economic conditions in India - For example, Fa-hien mentions about the Chandalas (untouchables) living outside the village. This shows that untouchablility was prevalent in the society as early as 5th Century AD.
  • Existing political conditions - For example, Hsuan Tsang’s account shows that during Harsha’s reign (7th Century AD), Pataliputra was in a state of decline and on the other hand, Prayag and Kannauj in the doab had emerged important.
  • Nature of Buddhist doctrines, rituals, and monastic institutions in India - For example - Hsuan Tsang and I-tsing provided vivid accounts of Nalanda.

Arab Accounts

  • Arab travellers such as the merchants - Sulayman, Abu Zaid, etc. provided vivid accounts on Indian culture and science, which are valuable sources for the study of early medieval Indian history.
  • Abu Zaid noted that most Indian princes while holding court, allowed their women to be seen unveiled – highlighting that there was no system of purdah (veiling) in upper class women in early medieval India.
  • Arab travellers also provide information about the socio-economic condition through their description of trade contacts and the wealth which was exclusively derived from the trade with India.
  • Arab travellers of the period like Al-Beruni and Ibn Battuta had direct personal contacts with the people of Indian subcontinent which enabled them to give detailed first hand information in their accounts about the economic, social and other activities of the people.

Though there are issues associated with the reliability of the accounts provided by these travellers owing to their personal biases, still they are key sources for finding out the missing links in the reconstruction of Indian history.

 

Additional Information

India Through The Eyes of Foreign Travellers

  • Many notable travellers visited India during the ancient and mediaeval periods and documented their impressions.
  • So these authors came from completely different social and cultural backgrounds, they were typically more attentive to ordinary events and practises that indigenous writers took for granted, as they were regular occurrences unworthy of recording.
  • This contrast in perspective is what makes travel narratives intriguing.
  • It is important to notice that no female traveller''s account is available.

Foreign travellers at a glance

Name (Nationality)

Time Period

Visited during the reign of (Dynasty/Ruler)

Literature

Deimachos (Greek)

320-273 BC

Mauryan (Bindusara)

  

Megasthenes (Greek)

302-298 BC

Mauryan (Chandragupta Maurya)
  • Indica

Fa-Hien (Chinese)

405-411 AD

Gupta (Chandragupta II)
  • Fo-Kwo-Ki (A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms; also known as Faxian''s Account).

Hiuen Tsang (Chinese)

630-645 AD

Pushyabhuti (Harshavardhana)
  • Great Tang Records on the Western Regions.

I-Tsing (Chinese)

671-695 AD

    

Al-Masudi (Arab)

956 AD
  • Muruj adh-dhahab
  

Al-Biruni (Khwarazm)

1024-1030 AD
  • Kitab al-Tafhim in both Persian and Arabic
  • Kitab-ul-Hind,
  

Marco Polo (Venetian)

1292-1294 AD

Pandyan (Madverman, Kulasekhara)
  • The Travels of Marco Polo

Ibn Battuta (Moroccan)

1333-1347 AD

Tughlaq (Muhammad-Bin- Tughlaq)
  • A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling, but commonly known as The Rihla.

Shihabuddin al-Umari (Damascus)

1348 AD
  • At-Ta''rif bi-al-mustalah ash-sharif
  

Nicolo De Conti (Venetian)

1420-1421 AD

Vijayanagara (Devaraya I)
  • "De varietate fortunae" ("On the Vicissitudes of Fortune")

Abdur Razzaq (Persian)

1443-1444 AD

Vijayanagara (Devaraya II)
  • Matla-us-Sadain wa Majma-ul-Bahrain

Athanasius Nikitin (Russian)

1470-1474 AD

Bahmani (Muhammad III)
  • The Journey Beyond Three Seas

Domingo Paes (Portuguese)

1520-1522 AD

Vijayanagara (Krishnadeva Raya)
  • Chronica dos reis de Bisnaga ("Chronicle of the Vijayanagar kings")

Fernao Nuniz (Portuguese)

1535-1537 AD

Tuluva dynasty (Achyutdeva Raya)

  

William Hawkins (British)

1608-1611 AD

Mughal Emperor (Jahangir)

  

Sir Thomas Roe (British)

1615-1619 AD

Mughal Emperor (Jahangir)
  • Embassy of Sir Thomas Roe to the Court of the Great Mogul

Peter Mundy(Italian)

1630-1634 AD

Mughal Emperor (Shah Jahan)
  • The Levelling Sea is a concise biography of Peter Mundy.

Jean Baptiste Tavernier (French)

1638- 1643 AD

Mughal Emperor (Shah Jahan)
  • Travels in India

Nicolao Manucci (Italian)

1653- 1708 AD

Timurid dynasty (Dara Shikoh)
  • History of the Mogul dynasty in India, 1399 - 1657

Francois Bernier (French)

1656-1717 AD

Timurid Dynasty (Dara Shikoh)
  • Travels in the Mogul Empire, A.D. 1656–1668
  • The History of the Late Revolution of the Empire of the Great Mogol.

India has always been a source of fascination for rulers and tourists from throughout the world. They have always been drawn to the numerous opportunities that our nation offers, as well as its rich culture, faiths, and customs. The majority of these visitors to India penned their own descriptions of the country''s distinct focal areas. Some travellers wrote about the court''s activities, while others concentrated on modern architecture and monuments, or described social and economic life.



POSTED ON 31-08-2022 BY ADMIN
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