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 |
Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) | |
Important Foreign Travellers to India
Foreign Travellers | Period of Stay | Description |
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.
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Alberuni/Abu al-Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni | 1024 A.D. – 1030 A.D.) | - He was a Persian scholar.
- He accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni and wrote a book titled ‘Tahqiq-i-hind’.
- He is considered the father of Indology.
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Al-Masudi | 957 A.D. | - Al-Masudi was An Arab traveller.
- In his book Muruj-ul-Zehab he has explained his journey.
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Captain William Hawkins | 1608 A.D. – 1611 A.D. | - Captain William Hawkins led the first expedition of the English 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.
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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”.
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Francois Bernier | 1656 A.D. – 1668A.D. | - He was a French physician and 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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’.
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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.
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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.
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To analyze the trend of history questions asked in UPSC Prelims, you can check the links below:
- Ancient History Questions in UPSC Prelims
- Medieval History Questions in UPSC Prelims
- Modern History Questions in UPSC Prelims
- 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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UPSC 2024 | UPSC Notes |
UPSC Syllabus | UPSC 2024 Calendar |
Pre Historic Age in India | Types of Vedas |
FAQs
The important Foreign travellers who visited India were Deimachus, Megasthenes, Fa Hein, Hiuen Tsang, I-Tsing, Al Masudi, Al Beruni (Abu Rehman Mahamud), Macro Polo, Ibn Batuta, Nicolo Conii, Abdul Razak, Duarte Barbosa, William Hawkins, Thomas Roe, Francois Bernier, etc.
Who were the first foreigners to enter India? ›
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.
Who were the foreign travellers who came to India during the Delhi Sultanate? ›
Foreign Travellers
- Wang Huan. Among the notable foreign travellers was Wang Huan, a Chinese traveller who visited during Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq's reign. ...
- Amir Khusrau. ...
- Alberuni. ...
- Niccolò de' Conti. ...
- Athanasius Nikitin. ...
- Domingo Paes.
Who among the following foreign Traveller came to India during the reign of Chandragupta? ›
Fa - Hien is the famous Chinese pilgrim who visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II. Fa - Hien started from China in 399 A.D and covering all the way through the deserts came up to Peshawar.
Who were the first Europeans to visit India? ›
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to come to India. Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer was the first European to reach India on the Malabar coast through the Atlantic Ocean. He discovered the route to India through Cape of Good Hope in the year 1498.
Who was the Chinese Traveller who visited ancient India? ›
Faxien, also spelt as Fa-Hien, was the first Chinese traveller to visit India in the early fifth century. The purpose of his visit was to look for texts sacred to Buddhism.
Who was the African Traveller to India? ›
Ibn Batuta belonged to Morocco, Africa and traveled to India in the fourteenth century. He is best known as a traveler and explorer, whose account documents his travels and excursions over a period of almost thirty years. Arriving in the city of Delhi in 1334, he won employment as a judge under Muhammad Tughluq.
Who was the Italian Traveller who visited India? ›
Nicolo Conti, was an Italian traveller who visited India during medieval period.
Who was the French Traveller who came to India? ›
Tavernier, the French traveller who visited India during the Mughal period described about the social life in India.
Who was the foreign Traveller who visited India during the reign of Shahjahan? ›
Manucci's Visit: Niccolao Manucci was an Italian traveller who visited India in the 17th century. He arrived in India in 1653, during the reign of Shahjahan.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in India and the last to leave. In c. 1498 CE, Vasco da Gama of Portugal discovered a new sea route from Europe to India. He sailed around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope and reached Calicut.
Which two Chinese pilgrims visited India? ›
Several hundred Chinese pilgrims travelled to India between the 5th and the 12th centuries, seeking authentic teachings and authoritative texts in the Buddhist homeland. The most famous are Faxian, Xuanzang, and Yijing, who left written accounts of their travels.
Which traveller visited the Vijayanagara Empire? ›
Nicolo Conti, an Italian, was at Vijayanagara in about 1420, just after the accession of Devaraya I. The first known foreign traveller, he mentions the fortifications of the city and the thousands of men employed in the army of the rulers.
Which European traveller came to India during the reign of Aurangzeb? ›
Francois Bernier was a French doctor who came to India during the reign of Aurangzeb as well.
Who was the Traveller who reached India from Central Asia in the medieval period? ›
Al-Biruni was a traveller from Central Asia, who reached India. He noted in his travelogue that people had to pay tax to farm cereals, graze cattle, and even trade.