Notes

Foreign travellers 👨‍✈️

➡️ Megasthenes (302-298BC)
✓An ambassador of selecus Nikator, who visited the court of Chandragupta Maurya.
✓He wrote an interesting book ‘Indica’ in which he gave a vivid account of chandragupta maurya‘s regin
✓First person to describe ancient India, and for that reason he has been called "The Father of Indian history”

➡️Deimachos (320-273 BC)
✓Greek Ambassador
✓Come as ambassador to Bindusāra or Amitraghāta, the son and successor of Chandragupta Maurya.
✓Provided important information about the contemporary society and polity.
✓He was sent by Antiochus I (the son of Seleucus Nikator).

➡️ Fa-hien (405-411Ad)
✓He came to India during the reign of chandragupta llnd Vikramaditya.
✓The object of his visit was to see the Holy places of Buddhism and to collect Buddhist books and relices.
✓He was the first Chinese pilgrim to visit India.

➡️ Hiuen-Tsang (630-645Ad)
✓He visited India during the reign of Harshavardhana.

➡️ I-tsing(671-695Ad)
✓A Chinese traveller, he visited India in connection with Buddhism.
✓His work Biographies of Eminent Monks, provides us useful information about the social,religious and cultural life of the people of this country.

➡️ Al-Masudi(957Ad)
✓An Arab traveller, he has given an extensive account of Idniain his work ‘Muruj-ul-zahab’.

➡️ Al-beruni(1024-1030 AD)
✓His real name was Abu Rehan Mahamud and he come to India along with Mahmud of Ghazni during one of his Indian raids.
✓He travelled all over India and wrote a book ‘Tahqiq-i-Hind’. ✓The book deals with the social, religious and political conditions in india.

➡️ Marco polo(1292-1294 AD)
✓A venetian traveller, he visited south Indian 1294 A.D. (during the reign of pandyan ruler of Madurai , Madverman kulshekhara:1272-1311).
✓His work ‘The Book of sir Marco Polo’ gives an invaluable account of the economic history of india.
Ibn Batuta(1333-1347 AD)
✓A Morrish traveller, he visited india during the reign of Muhammad-bin-Tughlag.
✓His book ‘Rehla’ (the Travelogue) throws a lot of light on the reign of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq and the geographical, economic and Social conditions in india.

➡️ Shihabuddin al-Umari (1348 A.D.)
✓Came from Damascus
✓He gives a vivid account of India in his book “ Masalik albsar fi-mamalik al-amsar”

➡️ Nicolo Conti (1420-1421 A.D.)
✓Venetian traveler
✓Came during the rule of Devraya I of Sangam Dynasty of Vijayanagar empire.
✓Given a graphic account of Vijayanagara’s capital

➡️Abdur Razzaq (1443-1444 A.D.)
✓Persian traveller, Ambassador of Shahrukh of Timurid dynasty.
✓Came during the rule of Devraya II of Vijaynagar Empire.
✓Stayed in India at the palace of the Zamorin of Kozhikode, Calicut
✓His book entitled 'Matla-us-Sadain wa Majma-ul-Bahrain' described the life and events in Calicut under the Zamorin and also of the Ancient City of Vijayanagara at Hampi.

➡️Athanasius Nikitin (1470- 1474 A.D.)
✓Russian merchant Visited South India Describes the condition of the Bahmani kingdom under Muhammad III (1463-82).
✓His narrative “The journey beyond 3 seas”.

➡️ Duarte Barbosa (AD 1500)
✓Portuguese voyager
✓Stayed in India for 16 years, most of the time in Kerala and in Vijayanagara dynasty.
✓Barbosa studied Malayalam and has written about the caste culture that prevailed here as also about the social life.
✓He wrote the 'Book of Duarte Barbosa.'

➡️ Domingo Paes (1520-1522 A.D.)
✓Portuguese traveler.
✓Visited the court of Krishnadeva Raya of Tuluv dynasty of Vijayanagar empire.

➡️ Fernao Nuniz (1535-1537 A.D.)
✓Portuguese merchant.
✓Visited during the rule of Achyutdeva Raya of Tuluv dynasty of Vijayanagar Empire.
✓Wrote history of the empire from its earliest times.

➡️ John Hughenvon linschotten. (1583Ad)
✓He was a Dutch traveller .
✓Who has given a valuable account of the social and economic life of south India.

➡️ William Hawkins (1608-1611AD)
✓He was a englishambassador of the British king James I to the court of jhangir(1609)

➡️ Sir Thomas Roe (1615-1619AD)
✓He was an ambassador of jamesI, king of England, at the court of Jahangir, the mughal emperor.

➡️ Francisco palsaert. (1620-1627AD)
✓He was a Dutch traveller, who stayed at Agra and gave a vivid account of the flourishing trade at surat, Ahmedabad, Broach, Cambay, Lahore, Multanetc .

➡️Peter Mundy (1630-34 A.D.)
✓Italian traveler
✓Visited during the reign of the Mughal Emperor, Shahjahan.
✓Gives valuable information about the living standard of the common people in the Mughal Empire.

➡️ Jeen Baptiste Tavernier (1638-1663 A.D.)
✓French traveler
✓Visited India 6 times in the reign of Shahjahan and Aurangzeb.

➡️ Nicolao Manucci (1653-1708 A.D.)
✓Italian traveler
✓Got service at the court of Dara Shikoh

➡️Francois Bernier(1656- 1717 A.D.)
✓French physician and Philosopher.
✓He visited India during the reign of Shah Jahan.
✓Danishamand Khan, a noble of Aurangzeb was his patron.
✓‘Travels in the Mughal Empire’ was written by Francois Bernier.
The book mainly talks about the rules of Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb.

➡️Dionysius
was a Greek of the 3rd century BCE, who was sent by Ptolemy Philadelphus of Egypt as ambassador to the court of the Maurya empire, in the reign of either Bindusara or Ashoka