Question: What is the importance of travelogue in history writing? Confirm your answer by giving examples?
Answer -
- Travelogues have an important role in writing medieval history because many foreign travelers came to India in medieval India, they saw the Indian system, understood it and wrote their accounts on it.
- Indian history has been reconstructed on the basis of these accounts.
- Example – Travelogues like Kitab ul Hind, Rihla, Travel in the Mughal Empire have helped in writing medieval history
Question: What insight does Ibn Batuta's description give us about India's agricultural economy and subcontinental trade and commerce?
Answer -
- Ibn Battuta said that the reason for the high productivity of Indian agriculture was the fertility of the soil which made it possible for farmers to grow two crops a year
- Ibn Battuta also pointed out that the subcontinent was closely linked to inter-Asian networks of trade and commerce.
- Indian goods were in great demand in both Central and Southeast Asia, earning huge profits for craftsmen and traders
- Indian textiles, especially cotton cloth, fine muslin, silk, brocade and satin were in great demand
Question: What obstacles did Al-Biruni face in understanding the details related to India ?
Answer -
Al-Biruni faced three types of obstacles in understanding the details related to India
1. The first barrier – language
2. Second obstacle - Difference in religious condition and practice
3. The third obstacle - pride
Question - What were Bernier's views regarding the practice of Sati?
Answer -
- Bernier saw the practice of Sati in Lahore with his own eyes. Bernier was very disturbed on seeing this incident. According to Bernier's description of the Sati practice, it was a social evil.
Question: How is the description of what Bernier said about the cities of the 17th century doubtful?
Answer -
- Bernier compared whatever he saw in India with European countries and described India as a country in a pitiable condition in comparison to European countries. Bernier said that in India only the emperor owned the land.
- Bernier's description is considered doubtful because it was not found anywhere in the official Mughal documents that the state was the sole owner of the land
Question - Why has Abul Fazal described land revenue as the remuneration of kingship? Explain?
Answer -
- Abul Fazl, the official historian of Akbar's period in the 16th century, refers to land revenue as royal remuneration, which appears to have been demanded by the king in return for providing protection to his subjects.
- It does not appear anywhere that this is a rent on land owned by him
Question: On the basis of Ibn Batuta's account, explain the unique system of communication of that time?
Answer -
- Ibn Battuta was surprised to see the Indian communication system. According to him, to encourage traders, the state had established inns and rest houses on almost all trade routes.
- He was also surprised to see the postal system here, there were two types of postal systems, horse postal system and foot postal system
- Due to these, communication was easy. It used to take 50 days to travel from Sindh to Delhi but the news from spies used to reach the Sultan through the postal system in just 5 days.
Question: Write a short note on Kitab-ul-Hind?
Answer -
- Kitab-ul-Hind was written by Al Biruni, this book was written in Arabic language, its language was very simple
- In Kitab-ul-Hind: - Religion, philosophy, festivals, astronomy, customs, traditions, weights and measures, sculpture, law were written about
- Kitab-ul-Hind was divided into 80 chapters
Question: According to Ibn Battuta, why was travelling more unsafe?
Answer -
- At that time travelling took more time and was risky. There was a danger of robbers on long journeys and the traveller could fall sick.
Question - Ibn Batuta found the city of Delhi full of vast opportunities. Confirm your answer on the basis of the facts given by him?
Answer -
- Ibn Battuta had described Indian cities as full of opportunities. If someone has the skill and desire, there is no dearth of opportunities in this city.
- The cities were densely populated and crowded, the streets were very bright
- Ibn Battuta described Delhi as a large city and said that it is the largest in India
- Ibn Battuta states that Daulatabad was no less than Delhi and challenged Delhi in size
- Many markets had both temples and mosques.
Question: How do you believe that the accounts of foreign travellers help in creating the history from 10th to 17th century? Explain with examples.
Answer -
The accounts of foreign travellers have helped a lot in building the history from the 10th to the 17th century
Example 1
- From Kitab-ul-Hind written by Alberuni, we get information about the laws, religion, philosophy, festivals, astronomy, customs, weights and measures, social life, cultural life of that time. History has been created using this information.
Example – 2
- The Rihla written by Ibn Battuta provides information about the social life, slave system, cities, trade, agriculture, intelligence system and communication system of that time. History has been created using this information.
Example – 3
- Travels in the Mughal Empire written by François Bernier provides information about land ownership, towns, cities, Sati system, comparison with European countries of that time. History has been created using this information.
Example – 4
- The account written by Duarte Barbosa provides information about the trade and society of South India at that time. History has been created using this information.
Example – 5
- Accounts written by French jeweler Jean Baptiste Tavernier reveal India's trade status and comparison of India with Iran and the Ottoman Empire. This information has been used to construct a history.
Question: How has Ibn Batuta described India in his description?
Answer -
- India had a unique system of communication about which Ibn Battuta wrote in detail. Ibn Battuta gave a description of the slavery system in India.
- Ibn Battuta wrote about plants such as coconut and betel leaf, which were completely unfamiliar to his readers.
- Ibn Battuta wrote about Indian cities. He found them full of opportunities. He wrote about Indian trade and markets.
- Wrote about Indian agriculture and said that the soil of India was very fertile due to which farmers could grow two crops in a year
- Goods made in India were in great demand in Central and South East Asia
- Indian cotton textiles, muslin and craftsmanship were highly commendable
- Ibn Battuta wrote about the Indian intelligence system
Question: How has Bernier compared East and West in his book?
Answer -
- Comparison of East and West
- Francois Bernier travelled to many parts of the country and wrote a description
- He compared what he saw in India with the European situation
- Bernier described the condition of India as pitiable in comparison to the development in Europe
- Bernier's work was published in France in 1670–71 and within the next five years in English, Dutch, German, and
- and they were translated into Italian
- His account was reprinted eight times in French between 1670 and 1725; by 1684 it had been reprinted three times in English.
Question - Which topics has the French traveller described in Travel in the Mughal Empire?
Answer -
- According to Bernier , one of the fundamental differences between India and Europe was the absence of private land ownership in India
- Bernier believed that private ownership of land was better and he considered state ownership of land to be harmful to both the state and its inhabitants.
- He felt that in the Mughal Empire, the emperor was the owner of all the land who distributed it among his nobles and this had bad consequences for the economy and society
- Bernier compared East and West. Bernier's description influenced Western thought in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- Bernier gave a description of the Mughal-era cities and described these cities as camp towns
- State system regarding land ownership was termed wrong
- Gave a poignant description of the sati tradition
Question: Discuss the evidence given by Ibn Batuta regarding slavery?
Answer -
- Ibn Battuta states that slaves were bought and sold in markets like ordinary commodities and were also given as gifts.
- When Ibn Battuta reached Sindh, he bought horses and slaves for Sultan Muhammad Bin Tughlaq and presented them to him.
- Slaves were used to perform general household chores, and also carried palanquins
- Ibn Battuta states that slaves were appointed to keep an eye on the rich, slaves also did the work of music and singing.
- The price of slaves was quite low; most families kept one or two slaves.
Question: Discuss Alberuni's interpretation regarding caste system?
Answer -
Al Biruni's description of the caste system
- Al Biruni tried to show that the caste system exists not only in India but also in Persia and other countries.
- Al Biruni stated that there were four classes in ancient Persia:
First - horsemen and ruling class
Second - monks and priests
Third - Scientists, doctors and astronomers class
Fourth - Farmers and other artisan classes
- Alberuni accepted the Brahmanical interpretation of the caste system but rejected the concept of impurity.
- Alberuni wrote that "Everything that becomes impure tries to regain its original state of purity and succeeds."
- The sun cleans the air and the salt in the sea prevents the water from becoming dirty. Alberuni stressed that if this were not the case, life on earth would be impossible.
- According to him the concept of impurity in the caste system was against the laws of nature
Question: Explain how Ibn Batuta and Bernier have presented an interesting glimpse of the lives of women of the 16th and 17th centuries?
Answer -
- Ibn Battuta said that women were skilled in household work. Women were also singers. The emperor employed female cleaning staff.
- Dasias were also kept for spying, women were also involved in trade
- Bernier described the custom of Sati
Question - Bernier's description of royal land ownership influenced Western thinkers such as the French philosopher Montesquieu and the German Karl Marx. Justify this statement?
Answer -
- Bernier's description of royal land ownership influenced Western thinkers Montesquieu and the German Karl Marx
- The French philosopher Montesquieu used his account to develop his theory of ancient despotism
- Karl Marx further developed this idea in the form of his theory of the Asiatic mode of production
- He argued that before colonialism in India the surplus was appropriated by the state
- The royal court had control over the rural communities, the situation there was not good
Question – What has Bernier described regarding land ownership?
Answer -
