Q1. With reference to foreign travellers who visited India, consider the following pairs:
| Traveller | Court Visited |
| 1. Megasthenes | Chandragupta Maurya |
| 2. Fa-Hien | Harshavardhana |
| 3. Ibn Battuta | Muhammad bin Tughlaq |
| 4. Abdur Razzaq | Devaraya II |
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
A. 1, 3 and 4 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2, 3 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: A. 1, 3 and 4 only
Explanation:
- Pair 1 is correct:
- Megasthenes was a Greek ambassador sent by Seleucus Nicator to the court of Chandragupta Maurya in the 4th century BCE.
- His work Indica provides valuable information regarding Mauryan administration, social structure, urban planning and economy.
- Pair 2 is incorrect:
- Fa-Hien (Faxian), the Chinese Buddhist monk, visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) of the Gupta Empire in the 5th century CE.
- He primarily travelled to collect Buddhist manuscripts and study Buddhist monastic traditions.
- Harshavardhana’s reign is associated with Hiuen Tsang, not Fa-Hien.
- Pair 3 is correct:
- Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller, visited India during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq in the 14th century.
- He served as the Qazi of Delhi under the Sultan.
- His travel account Rihla gives detailed insights into administration, communication systems, urban life and the Sultan’s personality.
- Pair 4 is correct:
- Abdur Razzaq, the Persian ambassador from the court of Shah Rukh of Persia, visited Vijayanagara during the reign of Devaraya II in the 15th century.
- He described Vijayanagara as one of the most magnificent and prosperous cities in the world.
Q2. Which of the following statements regarding Al-Biruni are correct?
- He accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni to India.
- He wrote Kitab-ul-Hind.
- He translated the Mahabharata into Persian.
- He studied Sanskrit to understand Indian Texts.
Select the correct answer using the code below:
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 1, 2 and 4 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: B. 1, 2 and 4 only
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct:
- Al-Biruni was a Persian polymath who came to India along with Mahmud of Ghazni’s invasions in the 11th century.
- Unlike court chroniclers, he approached India from a scholarly and scientific perspective.
Statement 2 is correct:
- He authored Kitab-ul-Hind (Tahqiq-i-Hind), one of the most important works on early medieval Indian society.
- The text discusses Indian philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, caste system, religion and customs.
Statement 3 is incorrect:
- Al-Biruni did not translate the Mahabharata into Persian.
- Persian translations of Sanskrit epics became prominent much later, especially under the Mughal ruler Akbar.
- Example:
- Razmnama = Persian translation of Mahabharata under Akbar.
Statement 4 is correct:
- Al-Biruni learned Sanskrit to directly study Indian scriptures and philosophical works.
- This reflects his comparatively objective and analytical methodology.
Q3. Consider the following statements regarding Chinese travellers to India:
- Fa-Hien visited India mainly to collect Buddhist manuscripts.
- Hiuen Tsang studied at Nalanda University.
- Both Fa-Hien and Hiuen Tsang visited India during the Gupta period.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: B. 1 and 2 only
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct:
- Fa-Hien travelled from China to India in the early 5th century CE.
- His main objective was collecting Buddhist scriptures and studying Buddhist monastic discipline (Vinaya Pitaka).
Statement 2 is correct:
- Hiuen Tsang (Xuanzang) visited India during Harshavardhana’s reign in the 7th century CE.
- He stayed at Nalanda Mahavihara for several years studying Buddhist philosophy under the scholar Shilabhadra.
Statement 3 is incorrect:
- Fa-Hien visited during the Gupta period.
- Hiuen Tsang visited much later during Harsha’s reign, after the decline of the Gupta Empire.
Q4. The accounts of which of the following travellers are important sources for the study of the Vijayanagara Empire?
- Domingo Paes
- Nicolo Conti
- Abdur Razzaq
- Marco Polo
Select the correct answer using the code below:
A. 1 and 3 only
B. 1, 2 and 3 only
C. 2 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: B. 1, 2 and 3 only
Explanation:
The correct answer is B. 1, 2 and 3 only.
- Domingo Paes: A Portuguese traveller who visited Vijayanagara around 1520–1522 during the reign of Krishnadevaraya. His travelogue provides one of the most vivid, detailed accounts of the empire’s administration, military structure, and the grandeur of its capital.
- Nicolo Conti: An Italian merchant from Venice who travelled to Vijayanagara around 1420, during the reign of Deva Raya I and Deva Raya II. He left behind valuable insights into the city’s military strength, social customs, and religious festivals.
- Abdur Razzaq: A Persian scholar and ambassador who visited the empire in [1443] during the reign of Deva Raya II. In his account (Matla-us-Sadain wa Majma-ul-Bahrain), he documented the bustling bazaars, wealth, and fortified structure of Hampi.
Marco Polo (4) is not a source for the Vijayanagara Empire. He was a Venetian traveller who visited India in 1292 during the Pandya kingdom’s reign—long before the Vijayanagara Empire was established in 1336.
Q5. With reference to the works of foreign travellers, consider the following pairs:
| Work | Author |
| 1. Indica | Megasthenes |
| 2. Rihla | Ibn Battuta |
| 3. Kitab-ul-Hind | Al-Biruni |
| 4. Si-Yu-Ki | Fa-Hien |
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
A. 1, 2 and 3 only
B. 1 and 4 only
C. 2, 3 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: A. 1, 2 and 3 only
Explanation:
Pair 1 is correct:
- Indica was written by Megasthenes.
- It describes Mauryan administration, social divisions and urban life.
Pair 2 is correct:
- Rihla was written by Ibn Battuta.
- It contains rich details regarding Delhi Sultanate society and governance.
Pair 3 is correct:
- Kitab-ul-Hind was authored by Al-Biruni.
- It is considered one of the earliest systematic studies of Indian civilisation.
Pair 4 is incorrect:
- Si-Yu-Ki (“Records of the Western World”) was written by Hiuen Tsang, not Fa-Hien.
- Fa-Hien’s account is known as Record of Buddhist Kingdoms.
