India through the eyes of Travellers
Megasthenes (302- 298 BCE)
- Ancient Greek historian, diplomat and explorer in the Hellenistic period.
- Visited during the reign of Chandra Gupta Maurya.
- Observed that the caste system existed in India. But there was no slavery.
- Wrote book “Indica”
- Chandra Gupta as Sandro cottus
Pic Credit: The Sunday Guardian
Heliodorus (110 BCE)
- Ambassador sent by Greek king Antialkidas.
- Visited during the reign of Bhagabhadra -4th king of Sunga Dynasty.
- He erected Vidisha Pillar in Besnagar.
- Described himself as Param Bhagavat.
Ptolemy (130 CE)
- Visited South India during Sangam era.
- Wrote the book “The geography of India”
- Lists six coastal places in Tamilnadu.
Pic Credit – Wikimedia commons
Fa-Hien (405-411 CE)
- Chinese Buddhist monk
- Visited during Gupta (Chandragupta II)
- Compiled a travelogue “Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms”
- Wrote about the economic prosperity of Pataliputra.
Pic Credit – Wikimedia Commons
Huien Tsang (630 – 645 CE)
- Chinese Buddhist traveller.
- He was also known as Xuanzang and the Prince of Pilgrims.
- Book Si-Yu-Ki : Buddhist Record of the Western World”.
- Also visited courts of Narsimha Varman of Pallava dynasty and Pulkesin II of chalukya dynasty.
Pic Credit – Wikimedia Commons
Al-Masudi (957 CE)
- An Arab traveller
- Visited Pratihara kingdom
- Also known as the “Herodotus of the Arabs”.
- Al-Masudi wrote his famous manuscript named Muruj-ul-Zehab in 956 CE
Pic Credit – Wikimedia Commons
Al-Biruni (1024-1030 CE)
- Persian scholar accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni
- Translated several Sanskrit works, including Patanjali’s work on Grammar
- Travelled widely in Punjab and other Northern parts of India.
- Books-Kitab-ul-Hind ‘Tahqiq-i-hind’ -Qanun-i-masudi (astronomy) and Jawahir-fil-Jawahir (on mineralogy).
Pic Credit – Wikimedia Commons
Marco Polo (1292-1294 CE)
- Italian traveller
- Marco Polo visited the Kakatiya kingdom in around 1289 CE during the reign of Queen Rudramadevi.
- Visited Pandyan kingdom during the reign of Madverman Kulasekhara
Pic Credit – Wikimedia Commons
Ibn Battuta (1333-1347 CE)
- Ibn Battuta was a Moroccan traveller
- Wrote about Indian cities which according to him were vibrant and densely populated.
- Mentioned the efficient postal system in India.
- Wrote book named “Rihla”
- He visited during the rule of Mohammed Bin Tughlaq.
Pic Credit – Wikimedia Commons
Nicolo Conti (1420-1421 CE)
- An Italian merchant.
- visited during the reign of Deva Raya I(Sangama Dynasty) of Vijayanagar.
- Referred Telugu language as “Italian of the East”.