ABSTRACT
For
International Conference
The Journey of Indian Languages: Perspectives on Culture and
Society
Importance of European travelogues as literary
sources to study the seventeenth century India
By
Dr. Ambika Singh
ambika.cas.amu@gmail.com
Contact – 7017662576
Address: Flat-201, Hare Krishna Apts., D1, Gali No. 2,
Bharat Vihar, Dwarka Sector-14, New Delhi, 110078
Key words: European travellers, national, international, trade, society, culture, political,
social, economic, Persian, royal court, commoner people, Mughal period.
The accounts of the European travellers have been considered as one of the most authentic,
descriptive and even primary sources by many historians and scholars. They even preferred
the travelogues over the contemporary Persian and Indian texts for a long time for the study
of trading activities in the medieval and early modern India. The scholars have resolutely
followed the veracity of the European travellers’ accounts. Thus, the valuable insight of
travellers has provided us with the information about the trade and commerce, including both
international and intra-national trade along with the growth and development of the towns
and the cities as a whole entity. They also provide us with ample information to draw a
complete picture of the Mughal India including the people, the communities, their religious
and cultural beliefs and the overall living standard.
The present paper attempts to lay emphasis on the importance of the travelogues or travellers
accounts for the study of Mughal period by providing reasoning facts and arguments. There
were numerous travellers who travelled to India during the Mughal period; some to make a
quick fortune and some to travel and satisfy their curiosity to discover new lands. These
travellers recorded day to day events and their experiences which eventually formed an
enormous storehouse of data.
These travellers belonged to different nationalities, professions and religions. Mostly, they
consisted of merchants, doctors, envoys, ecclesiastics, soldiers, fortune hunters and
adventurers of all descriptions. Most of them were well educated, some of them even being
scholars from prestigious universities, belonging to good families and having vast literary
knowledge. They have provided plethora of data on the life of the people of Mughal India.
The knowledge provided by them about the middle class along with the rural population is of
great value, as this section of society was largely untapped by the indigenous writers of that
period.
Some of the travellers have left us short journals; others have left us more ambitious work
and full accounts of the places they visited, and supplemented the same with accounts of
contemporary events. The impressions left by the travellers are valuable and supply
convincing, corroborative evidence of political, social and economic conditions of India.
Their observations regarding India and conditions of life of the people of India are not based
on conjecture but on their personal experiences.
Further, many of these travellers had good command over some Asian languages such as
Persian, Turkish and Arabic etc. which further helped them to understand the Royal court
proceedings as well as in interaction with much of the commoners. This is the reason that
their accounts are vivid and full of information.
Thus, these reasons have made it although more necessary and important to take in account
the European Travelogues, to draw a complete picture of the Mughal India.
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