THROUGH THE EYES OF TRAVELLERS

Perceptions of Society

AVANIKA GUPTA, SADHVI KUMAR, SANJANA AHUJA & SRAVYA RAO XII - H

WHY DID PEOPLE TRAVEL?

In search of work To escape from natural disasters As traders, merchants, soldiers, priests & pilgrims Driven by a sense of adventure

How was travelling different and how feasible was it?

Travel took very long and it took 40 days to travel from Multan or Daulatabad to Delhi. It was more risky and dangerous but since these were also trade routes the state had some duty to provide security and protection. It seems from Ibn Battuta's account the problems associated with travel could include robbery, getting lost, adverse weather, illnesses or homesickness.

TRAVELLERS ACCOUNTS
Those who travelled encountered a world different from their own and often accounted anything they found unusual or remarkable.

Surviving accounts often vary in terms of subject matter. They may deal with Affairs of the court Religious Issues Architectural features and monuments Popular customs, folklore and traditions of the land

Ibn Battuta

Ibn Battuta
Moroccan Muslim traveller and philosopher Born in Tangier, Morocco, on the 24th of February 1304 Educated in Islamic law, Sharia Ibn Battuta's book of travels - Rihla He travelled to Syria, Iraq, Persia, Yemen, Oman, east Africa, India, China and various other countries in central and southern Asia

FINDINGS
The travelogue of Ibn Battuta tells us of the political system, economy as well as society, culture, food habits etc.

Religious:
growth of Islam in India due to lower taxes and job opportunities. Most of the rural population still remained Hindu

Society:
law and order issues. dietary habit of India in great detail, including use of ghee as well export of rice from India to other parts of the Arab world.

Political:
Muhammad bin Tughlaks sultanate of Delhi The establishment of Sultanate was not yet firm and it is for this reason that Tughlak was welcoming scholars from Arabia and Persia to work as officers. 2 rebellions in Delhi Sultanate South: which Tughlak could not suppress Near Delhi: which he crushed. Conflict between Tughlak and a Sufi saint indicates that the Sufis were popular among masses and had large following. Whimsical and cruel nature of Tughlak resulted in the trial of hundreds of people.

Economy:
Ibn Battuta's travel in India also coincided with severe famine in North Ibn Battuta was paid a salary of 5000 silver dinars in comparison to an average family living off 5 silver dinars. This may indicate lack of administrative structure having been established. The customs duties payable in India for import of horses also finds account in his travelogue. The account talks of the Indian traders from Khambat and Malabar in Aden who were very rich. The mention of Chinese Junk boats in Malabar indicates the thriving trade.

AL-BIRUNI

AL BIRUNI
Born in 972 in Khwarizm (present day Uzbekistan)

Well versed in Syriac, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian & Sanskrit

Familiar with the works of Greek philosophers like Plato, having read them in Arabic translation. Was taken as hostage to Ghazni in 1017 by Sultan Mahmud Developed a liking for the city and lived their until he died at the age of 70

Al-Birunis Kitab-ul-Hind, written in Arabic, is a simple yet voluminous text, divided into 80 chapters. It covered subjects such Philosophy Festivals Astronomy Weights and Measures Alchemy Manners and Customs Iconography Laws

The Kitab-ul-Hind

The chapters followed a distinctive structure, beginning with a question, followed by a description based on Sanskrit traditions and concluding with a comparison with other cultures.

OVERCOMING BARRIERS OF UNDERSTANDING

Al-Biruni discussed several barriers that travellers faced while trying to understand the local traditions.
LANGUAGE According to him, Sanskrit was so different from Persian and Arabic that ideas and concepts could not be easily translated from one language to another DIFFERENCE IN RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES SELF ABSORPTION AND CONSEQUENT INSULARITY OF LOCAL POPULATION.

RALPH FITCH

RALPH Fitch
Was born in 1551 in Derby, England. Gentleman merchant of London and one of the earliest English travellers and traders to visit Mesopotamia, the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, India and Southeast Asia. Wrote detailed descriptions of south-east Asia that he saw in 15831591, and upon his return to England, in 1591, became a valuable consultant for the British East India Company. Died in 1611 in London.

FITCHS ACCOUNT
Fitchs account was restored and published by John Horton Ryley of the Hakluyt Society, about 300 years after it was written. It focused mainly on the enormous resources of the East Indies, their economic activities and links of trade. When written, it was the first English account of the subcontinent and proved to be very useful to the East India Company company as they used it to study the commercial history of the region. It also mentioned The grandeur of kings Exotic animals such as the white elephant The vibrant markets

 Agra Allahabad Benares Patna

Kuch Behar Hughli

Chittagong

MARCO POLO

AbOUT MARCO POLO

Marco Polo was an Italian explorer from Venice famous for his travels through Asia. He was one of the first Europeans to travel into Mongolia, China and India. His travels were recorded in a book called The million or The Description of the World was later translated into many languages, became the greatest travelogue. It helped to make Europeans very interested in trading with China and the Far East, that led to the explorations of Columbus and many others. It changed the course of Asian history. Dates of Exploration: 1271-1292 Name of Ship: Dummas

MARCOS TRIP TO China

In 1271, Marco Polo went to China with his father and uncle. It took Marco 3 years to get to China. They followed a road called the Silk Road, which linked Europe to Asia To get to China he had to go through Armenia, Georgia, Persia and Afghanistan. He had to go over the Pamir Mountains and across the Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts.

Going Back Home

The ships they went back home on were called Chinese junk ships, the most hi-tech ships Kublai Khan had. It took eighteen months to drop the princess off in the Middle East. They had to go through the China Sea, past India, Indonesia and Malaya. Return Journey took about 2 years Covering southern and western coasts of India, Sri Lanka etc Only 18 out of 600 passengers made it through the tough journey.

INFLUENCES AND TEACHINGS

Marco Polos book influenced much of later Europe. It influenced other explorers including Christopher Columbus, as it created awareness about China and India. Marco explained life style of the people, towns, terrain, climate, languages spoken, religious beliefs, social customs and practices, ruling class etc which is a valuable information, drawing attention of west to India.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORT (PART II), NCERT BRITANNICA ENCYCLOPEDIA WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA THE FIRST ENGLISHMEN IN INDIA - J. COURTENAY LOCKE www.renaissanceastrology.com www.iranchamber.com www.ibnbattuta.berkeley.edu www.geography.about.com www.silk-road.com

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