Through the Eyes of Travellers

 

5 Through the eyes of traveller

perceptions of society

➔ Search of work
➔ To escape from natural disasters,
➔ As traders, merchants, soldiers, priests, pilgrims ➔ Driven by a sense of adventure

Subject matter of travellers accounts

• Affairsofthecourt,
• Religiousissues,
• Architectural features and monuments

Travellers

( 10

th th

to 17

century)

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Objectives and Aims of travellers

	Name of the traveller	Date of visit	country	Language of book	Book	Name of ruler during visit	Subject matter of accounts
1	Alberuni	11th century	Uzbekistan	Arabic	Kitabul Hind	Mahmud Ghazni	Religion,philosophy astronomy,social life laws,Metrology,Medici ne,caste system
2	Ibn Batuta	14th century	Morocco	Arabic	Rihla	Muhamme d Bin Tughlaq	The coconut and the Paan,Indiancities,agric ulture, trade and commerce,Communica tion system Slavery
3	Francois Bernier	17th century	France	English	Travels in the Mughal empire	Shahjahan and Aurangaze b	Ownership of land, kinds of towns,artisans

Al-Beruni

• Al-Biruni was born in 973, in Khwarizm in present- day Uzbekistan.

• Khwarizm was an important centre of learning

• Al-Biruni received the best education available at the time.

• He was well versed in several languages: Syriac, Arabic, Persian,Hebrew and Sanskrit.

• In 1017, when invaded Khwarizm, he took several scholars and poets back to his Al-Biruni was one of them.

• He spent the rest of his life in Ghazni until his death at the age of 70.

• When the Punjab became a part of the Ghaznavid empire, he travelled widely in the

  Punjab and parts of northern India

• Al-Biruni spent years in the company of

• ➔  written by

• ➔  Written in Arabic

• ➔  Divided into 80 chapters on subjects such as religion and philosophy, festivals, astronomy, alchemy, manners and customs, social life, weights and measures, iconography, laws and metrology.

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Sultan Mahmud

capital, Ghazni;

Brahmana priests and scholars, learning

Sanskrit, and studying religious and philosophical texts

The Kitab-ul-Hind

Al Biruni

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➔ Generally Al-Biruni adopted a distinctive structure in each chapter, beginning with a question, following this up with a description based on Sanskritic traditions, and concluding with a comparison with other cultures.

Alberuni s objectives by writing book

➔ A help to those who want to discuss religious questions to Hindus ➔ As a information to those who want to associate with Hindus

Translation works of Alberuni

• AlberunitranslatedPatanjalissanskritworkongrammarintoArabic
• He translated the works of Euclid (Greek mathematician) in to Sanskrit

Origin of the word 'Hindu'

• The term “Hindu”was derived from a th and 5th century BCE to refer to the east of the region )

• The Arabs called this region Al Hind and its people Hindi

Persian word used in 6

river sindhu(Indus

• Later Turks referred to the people their land as Hindustan,and their language

Three “Barriers” that Alberuni felt obstructed understanding of unfamiliar places

1 Problemoflanguage
2 Differencesinreligiousbeliefsandpractices 3 Selfabsorptionandinsularityoflocalpeople

Al-Biruni’s description of the ‘caste system in India’

➔ Al beruni wrote about Chathurvarnya system

➔ He wrote that social divisions were not unique to India

➔ Al-Biruni disapproved of the notion of pollution.

➔ He noted that in ancient Persia, four social categories were recognised:

a) Knights and princes;
b) Monks, fire-priests and lawyers;
c) Physicians, astronomers and other scientists; d)Peasants and artisans

Hindavi

east of the Indus as Hindu

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➔ Al Biruni commented “god knows best”about lakhs of year old wooden idol told by people -

Albiruni about Sanskrit Language

• Al Biruni described Sanskrit as a language of enormous range

Ibn Battuta

• ●  Ibn Batuta was a globe trotter of 14th century

• ●  Ibn Batuta was born in Tangier(Morocco,North Africa)

• ●  He belonged to respectable and educated family known for its expertise in Islamic law sharia

• ●  At the age of 21 he left his country to see different lands of the world

• ●  He made pilgrimage to and travelled

• ●  He set out for India in 1332-33

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Mecca

Syria,Iraq,Persia,Yemen,Oman,east African coast

● Ibn Batuta reached Sind in 1333

● He visited Muhammed Bin tughlaq Sultan of Delhi

● Sultan appointed him as the qazi or judge of Delhi

● In 1342 appointed as sultans envoy to the Mongol ruler of China ● Visited Malabar coast

● Stayed Maldives 18 months as qazi

● Visited Srilanka

● Reached Sumatra

● Reached Chinese port town Zaytun(quanzhou)

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● Travelled extensively in China

● Carefully recorded his observations about cultures,peoples etc

● He was attacked by hands of robbers several times

● In 1347 returned to home

● When returned local ruler instructed to to write the stories of his journeys

● Ibn Juzayy a famous scholar wrote Rihla of Ibn Batuta ● Rihla was written in Arabic

● ‘The bird leaves its nest’ -is a statement in -Rihla -Ibn Battuta

● Homesickness and illness of traveller described in -Rihla -Ibn Battuta

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Ibn Batuta and The excitement of the unfamiliar

• 1) The Pan (description about betel tree)

• 2) The coconut (description about coconut-nuts like man s head

  Ibn Batutas description about Indian cities

  ➔ The Indian cities had opportunities for those who had ambitions,resources and skills

  ➔ Cities were densely populated and prosperous

  ➔ Crowded streets and colourful markets and variety of goods

  ➔ Described Delhi as a vast city with great population

  ➔ Doulathabad is another big city

  ➔ The bazars of Indian cities were centre of social and cultural activities

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➔ Most of the bazars had a mosque or temple

➔ Some bazars had spaces for public performances by dancers,musicians,and singers

➔ Agriculture was very productive because of the fertility of soil

➔ Indian goods had great demand in both West Asia and South Asia

➔ Description of Delhi (Dehli) see text

➔ Description of Doulathabad (Tarababad -music in the market)see text

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Ibn Batutas description about system of Communication and postal system

 AccordingtoIbnBatuta2kindsofpostalsystemsinIndia

1. Thehorsepost(uluq)-runbyroyalhorsesstationedatadistanceofevery4miles 2. Thefootpost-(dawa)-runbymen-threestationspermile

 Innsandguesthouseswerebuiltonalmostalltraderoutes

 Postalsystemallowedmerchantstosendinformation,remitcredit,todespatchgoods  Ittookonly50daystoreachDelhifromSind

 NewsreportsofspieswouldreachtheSulthanthroughthepostalsysteminjust5days

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Ibn Battutas description about slavery

• ✔  Slaves were openly sold in markets like other commodities

• ✔  Slaves were exchanged as gifts

• ✔  Battuta purchased horses camels and slaves as gifts for sultan Muhammed Bin Tughlaq

• ✔  When Battuta reached at Multhan he presented governor with 'a slave and horse

• ✔  Muhammed Bin Tughlaq presented 200slaves to Nasiruddin ,a religious preacher

✔ There were many female slaves in the service of sulthan

• ✔  Slaves performed music and dance during wedding of sulthans sister

• ✔  Female slaves acted as spies for the sulthan by watching on the activities of his nobles

• ✔  Slaves were used for domestic labour

Francois Bernier (1656-1668)

➔ French Traveller
➔ known as ‘A doctor with difference’
➔ Author of the work 'Travels in the Mughal Empire' ➔ Doctor,philosopher,historian

➔ visited several parts of India
➔ Lived in India for 12 years (1656-1668)
➔ Physician to prince Dara shukoh son of Mughal emperor Shah jahan ➔ Associated as scientist with Danishmand khan

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➔ Compared East and West
➔ Dedicated his works to Louis xiv the emperor of France
➔ Presented the idea of 'degenerated East'
➔ Berniers works extremely popular in Europe and translated to many languages

Views of Francois Bernier

• ➔  Interested in comparing and contrasting India with Europe and France

• ➔  Focus on depressing things in India

• ➔  Emphasised superiority of Europe

• ➔  Considered Mughal rule as inferior to that of Europe

• ➔  Model of binary opposition-India as the reverse of Europe

• ➔  The question of land ownership of Mughal empire

• ➔  He believed that crown ownership of land in Mughal empire was harmful both the state and the people

➔ Absence of private property prevented long term investment of land lords

• ➔  But Abul fazal describes the land revenue as remunerations of sovereignty -state was not sole owner of land)

• ➔  Indian society consisted of impoverished people subjugated by a small minority of a rich and powerful ruling class

• ➔  Asserted that there was no middle class in India

• ➔  The Mughal king was the king of beggars and barbarians

• ➔  The Mughal cities and towns were ruined and polluted with 'ill air'

• ➔  Its fields 'overspread with bushes and full of 'pestilential marshes'

• ➔  Bernier warned European kings not to follow Mughal Model

• ➔  Projected the Mughal state as tyrannical

• ➔  Artisans had no incentive to improve the quality of their manufacturers because profit appropriated by state

• ➔  Manufacture were exported in exchange for gold and silver and precious metals flowed to India

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➔ Described Mughal cities as camp towns(capital towns or imperial camp towns)(But all types of

towns existed)

• ➔  Merchants organised as caste cum occupational groups as Mahajans and their chief sheth or nagarasheth in urban centre

• ➔  Urban groups included physicians teachers lawyers painters architects musicians calligraphers

• ➔  Bernier is who provide a detailed account of the working of the imperial karkhanas

• ➔  Montesque used the accounts of Bernier to develop the idea of 'oriental despotism'

• ➔  This idea developed by Karl Marx as the concept of 'Asiatic mode of production'

  Bernier s description about Sati

  ➔ A few women embraced death cheerfully
  ➔ Others were forcibly taken to the funeral pyre and burned alive ➔ Saw a child sati at Lahore

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only historian

or workshops

Differences in perceptions between Ibn Batuta and Bernier

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Ibn Bathutha

Attracted by novelty and unfamiliarity of things

Described everything that impressed and excited him

Francois Bernier

Gave importance to desperate things

Interested in comparing and contrasting what he saw in India with the situation in Europe

Shaikh Itisamuddin and Mirsa Abu Talib

 Indians who visited Europe after 1750 ,confronted with European ideas on India and tried to present their own views on India

Other Travellers

➔ 1 Abdur Rassaq: A traveller who commented kozhikode a strange nation '

statement by -

➔ 2 Roberto Nobili:- European Jesuit traveller who translated Indian texts in to European languages

➔ 3 Duart Barbosa :- Portugese traveller who wrote detailed account of trade and society of south India-

➔ 4 Jean Baptist Tavernier :-French jeweller who travelled India at least six times

I saw an idol house in Mangalore the likes of which is not to be found in all the world '

Abdur Rassaq

➔ 5 Manucci Italian traveller and doctor who settled in India and never returned Europe- ➔ 6 Pelsaert :- Dutch traveller who wrote about widespread poverty in India-

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