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Foreign Travellers in Indian History - UPSC Notes

The envoy is an ambassador of a respective country. India is a land of beautiful culture and
tradition. This draws many foreigners from different countries to our land. A great number of
foreign travellers have visited India and appreciated the beauty of our country in different
ways- poetry, books, travelogue. Megasthenes, ambassador of Seleucus Nikator was the first
foreign traveller to India. India has witnessed the visit of great foreign envoys like Al-Masudi, Fa-
Hien, Hiuen-Tsang, Marco Polo and Abdul Razak, etc. Read on to get the list of important foreign
travellers in Indian history for the IAS Exam.

Aspirants reading about foreign travellers in Indian History can also read other important
History articles:
List of Governors-General of India List of Mughal Emperors

UPSC Prelims test series @Rs5000/-

Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) Important Dynasties & Kingdoms of Ancient India
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Important Foreign Travellers to India

Foreign Period of Stay Description

Travellers

Abdur Razzak 1443 A.D. – 1444 A.D. He was a Persian scholar.

He was also an ambassador of

Persia.

He visited India during the rule

of Deva Raya II of Vijayanagar.

Alberuni/Abu 1024 A.D. – 1030 A.D.) He was a Persian scholar.

al-Rayhan He accompanied Mahmud of
Muhammad Ghazni and wrote a book titled
ibn Ahmad al- ‘Tahqiq-i-hind’.
Biruni
He is considered the father of
Indology.

Al-Masudi 957 A.D. Al-Masudi was An Arab

traveller.

In his book Muruj-ul-Zehab he

has explained his journey.

Captain 1608 A.D. – 1611 A.D. Captain William Hawkins led the
William first expedition of the English
Hawkins East India Company to India in
1609.

He visited India during the reign

of Jahangir.

He carried a personal letter

from King James I of England.

He did not succeed in getting

Jahangir’s permission to start a
factory.
Fa-Hien 405 A.D. – 411 A.D. He was a Chinese Buddhist
monk.

He visited India during the reign

of Vikramaditya
(Chandragupta II).

He is known for his visit to

Lumbini.

His voyage is described in his

travelogue “Record of Buddhist
Kingdoms”.

Francois 1656 A.D. – 1668A.D. He was a French physician and

Bernier traveller.

He was in India from 1656-1668

He visited India during the reign

of Shah Jahan.

He was physician to Prince Dara

Shikoh and later was attached
to the court of Aurangzeb

‘Travels in the Mughal Empire’

was written by Francois Bernier.

The book mainly talks about the

rules of Dara Shikoh and
Aurangzeb.

Huien Tsang 630 A.D. – 645 A.D. He was a Chinese traveller.

He visited India during the

supremacy of Harsha
Vardhana.

Si-yu-ki or ‘The Records of the

Western World’ was written by
him.

Ibn Battuta 1333 A.D. – 1347 A.D. He was a Moroccan traveller.

He visited India during the rule

of Mohammed Bin Tughlaq.

Rihla is a book written by Ibn

 Batuta.

Marco Polo 1292 A.D. – 1294 A.D. He was a European traveller.

He visited Southern India during

the reign of Rudramma Devi of
the Kakatiyas.

Megasthenes 302 B.C. – 298 B.C. He was the ambassador of

Seleucus.

He visited India during the

supremacy of Chandragupta
Maurya.

Chandragupta was known to

the Greeks as Sandrocottus.

He was also the author of the

book ‘Indica’.

Nicolo Conti 1420 A.D. – 1421 A.D. He was an Italian merchant.

He visited India during the reign

of Deva Raya I of Vijayanagar.

Thomas Roe 1615 A.D. – 1619 A.D. Sir Thomas Roe was an English
diplomat.

He visited India during the reign

of Jahangir in 1615.

He came to seek protection for

an English factory at Surat.

His “Journal of the Mission to the

Mughal Empire” is a treasured
contribution to the history of
India.

To analyze the trend of history questions asked in UPSC Prelims, you can check the links below:

1. Ancient History Questions in UPSC Prelims

2. Medieval History Questions in UPSC Prelims

3. Modern History Questions in UPSC Prelims

 4. Art and Culture Questions in UPSC Prelims

Questions from the account of foreign travellers have been asked in the UPSC exam. Aspirants
can get the previous years’ History Questions in UPSC Mains GS 1, for reference.

Also, refer to Frequently Asked Questions on IAS Exam at the linked article.

Frequently Asked Questions on Foreign Travellers in Indian History

Q1 Q 1. What role did the Foreign travellers play in the history of India?

Ans. Accounts and excerpts of the Foreign travellers help in determining the ancient and
medieval history of the country. It throws light on the social, political, cultural, geographical,
economic and administrative practices of that time.

Q2 Q 2. Who were the famous Foreign Travellers of ancient India?

Ans. Few of the most popular foreign travellers of ancient India include:
Fa Hien

Marco Polo

Ibn Battuta

Al Biruni

Hiuen Tsang

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