THROUGH THE EYES OF TRAVELLERS
Chapter 1
Answer in100-150 words
1. Write a note on the Kitab-ul-Hind.
Answer:- Kitab-ul-Hind was written in 1031 by al-Biruni. It was considered with India and was also known as Tarikh-ul-Hind and Tahqiq-Ma-ul-Hind. This was written in Arabic. It is divided into 80 chapters. They have given a detailed overview of Hinduism and philosophy, festivals, customs and traditions, social and economic and political life of the people. Each chapter he adopted a distinctive style and began with a question. This was followed by a narration based on Sanskrit traditions, finally he compared the culture of India with other cultures. This geometric structure he followed is known for its precision and grandeur. The main reason for this structure was the mathematical orientation of al-Biruni.
2. Compare and contrast the perspectives from which Ibn Battuta and Bernier wrote their accounts of their travels in India.
Answer:- Ibn Battuta was an early world traveler. He considered his experience gained through travel to be an important source of knowledge than books. He carefully recorded his observations of the new culture, people, beliefs and values. He enjoyed the cosmopolitan culture of urban centers where people who spoke Arabic, Persian, Turkish and other languages shared ideas, facts and anecdotes. He highlighted unfamiliar objects to ensure that the listener or reader was appropriately affected by the details of a distant but accessible world. For example, he described coconuts and pans which were completely unfamiliar to his readers. Hence, Ibn Battuta narrated all that impressed and encouraged him because of its novelty.
3. Discuss the picture of urban centres that emerges from Bernier’s account.
Answer:-
4. Analyse the evidence for slavery provided by Ibn Battuta.
Answer:- Battuta gives a detailed account of the practice of slavery in India. The Sultan of Delhi-Muhammad bin Tughlaq had a large number of slaves. Most of these slaves were forcibly captured during the invasion. Many people sold their children as slaves because of severe poverty. Slaves were also offered as gifts during this period. When Battuta visited him, he brought many horses, camels and slaves for the Sultan. Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq himself presented two hundred slaves to Nasiruddin, a religious preacher.
Nobles were used to keep slaves in those days. Through these servants the Sultan received information about the activities of the great and all other important events of the empire.
5. What were the elements of the practice of sati that drew the attention of Bernier?
Answer:-
According to Barnier, the practice of chastity showed the difference in the treatment of women in Western and Eastern societies. He noted how a child widow was shouted into a pyre and forcibly burned while many elderly women were resigned to their fate.
The following elements caught his attention.
(I) Under this cruel custom a living widow was forced to sit on her husband's coffin.
(II) People had no sympathy for her.
(III) The widow was an unwilling victim of the practice of chastity. She was forced to become a chaste woman.
Write a short essay (about 250-300 words) on the following:
6. Discuss Al-Biruni’s understanding of the caste system.
Answer:-
He understood al-Biruni's description of the caste system. Al-Biruni tried to explain the caste system by looking at many parallels in other societies. He describes that four social classes are recognized in ancient Persia.
(I) Knights and Princes.
(II) The hermit
(III) fire-priests and lawyers; physicians, astronomers, other scientists;
(IV) Finally, farmers and artisans. He tried to suggest that social divisions were not unparalleled for India.
His description of the caste system in India was deeply influenced by his study of Sanskrit texts. According to these texts, the highest castes were the Brahmins since they were created from the heads of the Brahmins.
The Kshatriyas were the next race created from the shoulders and hands of the Brahmans. Vaishyas and Sudras were created from the thighs and legs of Brahmins respectively.
Therefore, he tried to understand the Indian caste system by seeking parallels in other societies. Nothing that divided ancient Persian society into four classes did he realize that social divisions were not incomparable to India.
However, despite adopting the caste system, he was opposed to the concept of pollution. He believed that according to the laws of nature, anything that becomes impure eventually becomes pure again, like the sun purifying the air. The concept of social pollution is the basis of the caste system. Therefore, the caste system, he believed, was contrary to the laws of nature.
He failed to realize that the caste system was not as rigid as it was shown in Sanskrit texts.
7. Do you think Ibn Battuta’s account is useful in arriving at an understanding of life in contemporary urban centres? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:-
2. In addition to the above, when Ibn Battuta arrived in Delhi in the fourteenth century, the subcontinent was part of a global network of communications that stretched from China in the east to northwest Africa and Europe in the west.
3. Indian agriculture was also productive due to the fertility of the soil. This led to the prosperity of the cities as the cities acquired a significant portion of their wealth through additional investments from the villages.
4. In both West Asia and Southeast Asia there was a great demand for Indian goods which reaped huge profits for artisans, traders and Indian textiles.
8. Discuss the extent to which Bernier’s account enables historians to reconstruct contemporary rural society.
Answer:-
Bernier’s assessment of Indian rural society was not accurate. It was far from the truth, but it is unacceptable. There is some truth in his description which is evident from the following facts.
(I) According to his account, the Mughal Empire owned land and it was distributed among its aristocrats. It had a devastating impact on society.
(II) He believed that the Crown system of land ownership was good. This was because the landowners could not pass on their land to their children. They made no long-term investments in land.
(III) As there was no personal property in the land, there was no improvement in the class of landlord. This system destroys agriculture and leads to the views of the farmers. Bernier's view of Indian society had the following characteristics:
(I) The rich were a minority.
(II) It was the poorest and the richest of the rich, there was no middle class.
(III) reined in all cities and towns and had polluted air.
9. Read this excerpt from Bernier:
Numerous are the instances of handsome pieces of workmanship made by persons destitute of tools, and who can scarcely be said to have received instruction from a master. Sometimes they imitate so perfectly articles of European manufacture that the difference between the original and copy can hardly be discerned. Among other things, the Indians make excellent muskets, and fowlingpieces, and such beautiful gold ornaments that it may be doubted if the exquisite workmanship of those articles can be exceeded by any European goldsmith. I have often admired the beauty, softness, and delicacy of their paintings.
List the crafts mentioned in the passage. Compare these with the descriptions of artisanal activity in the chapter.
Answer:- I. Names of the crafts mentioned in this passage.
In this passage the crafts such as making of muskets and following pieces and making beautiful gold ornaments are mentioned. These products were beautifully made. Bernier was amazed to see these products.
II. Comparison of crafts referred in the passage with the description of artisanal activity in the chapter.
(i) In the chapter boat manufacturing and terracottan sculpture and temple architecture has been mentioned.
(ii) Art of painting has been referred.
(iii) Art of carpet manufacturing has been referred.
(iv) Art of dance, music and calligraphy have been referred in the chapter.
(v) Description about Rajal Khamos have also been mentioned.
Map work
10. On an outline map of the world mark the countries visited by Ibn Battuta. What are the seas that he may have crossed?
Answer:-
Projects (choose one)
11. Interview any one of your older relatives (mother/ father/grandparents/uncles/aunts) who has travelled outside your town or village. Find out (a) where they went, (b) how they travelled, (c) how long did it take, (d) why did they travel (e) and did they face any difficulties. List as many similarities and differences that they may have noticed between their place of residence and the place they visited, focusing on language, clothes, food, customs, buildings, roads, the lives of men and women. Write a report on your findings.
Answer:-
12. For any one of the travellers mentioned in the chapter, find out more about his life and writings. Prepare a report on his travels, noting in particular how he described society, and comparing these descriptions with the excerpts included in the chapter.
Answer:-
