Mughal & Travellers — Set 2

Correct Answer: A. Abdul Hamid Lahori

• **Abdul Hamid Lahori** = He was commissioned by Shah Jahan to write 'Padshahnama', the official history of his reign. • **Twenty years** — 'Padshahnama' meticulously chronicles the first **twenty years** of Emperor Shah Jahan's reign, including architectural achievements. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Inayat Khan]: He authored 'Shah Jahan Nama', a different history of Shah Jahan; [Muhammad Waris]: He was a court historian who continued Lahori's work on 'Padshahnama'; [Khafi Khan]: He wrote 'Muntakhab-ul-Lubab', covering a wider period including Aurangzeb's reign.

Correct Answer: C. Muhammad Kazim

• **Muhammad Kazim** = He was the official court historian who authored 'Alamgirnama', documenting Aurangzeb's early rule. • **First decade** — 'Alamgirnama' covers the **first decade** of Aurangzeb's reign, serving as a primary source for that period. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Saqi Mustad Khan]: He later wrote 'Ma'asir-i-Alamgiri', which continued the history of Aurangzeb's reign; [Ishwardas Nagar]: He wrote 'Futuhat-i-Alamgiri', another history of Aurangzeb; [Bhimsen]: He authored 'Nuskha-i-Dilkusha', a personal memoir and historical account.

Correct Answer: D. Dara Shikoh

• **Dara Shikoh** = The eldest son of Shah Jahan, Dara Shikoh, translated the Upanishads into Persian under the title 'Sirr-i-Akbar'. • **Religious synthesis** — Dara Shikoh was known for his interest in religious synthesis and believed in finding common ground between different faiths. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Shah Jahan]: He was Dara Shikoh's father, not the translator himself; [Faizi]: A poet in Akbar's court, known for his translations, but not of Upanishads into 'Sirr-i-Akbar'; [Abul Fazl]: Akbar's historian, not known for this specific translation.

Correct Answer: A. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier

• **Jean-Baptiste Tavernier** = This 17th-century French jeweler made six voyages to India and wrote extensively about precious stones like the Koh-i-Noor diamond. • **Six voyages** — Tavernier made **six voyages** to India, providing detailed accounts of trade, diamond mines, and royal treasures. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Francois Bernier]: A French physician who wrote 'Travels in the Mughal Empire', focusing on politics and society; [Thevenot]: A French traveler who wrote about various Eastern countries, including parts of India; [Careri]: An Italian traveler who visited India in the late 17th century, known for his account of a global circumnavigation.

Correct Answer: C. Afanasy Nikitin

• **Afanasy Nikitin** = This Russian merchant visited India in the 15th century and authored the travelogue 'Journey Beyond Three Seas'. • **15th century** — Nikitin's journey in the **15th century** provided a rare non-Islamic foreign account of India before the Portuguese arrival. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Nicolo Conti]: An Italian merchant who visited India in the early 15th century, but did not write 'Journey Beyond Three Seas'; [Marco Polo]: A Venetian traveler of the 13th century, primarily known for his travels to China; [Ludovico di Varthema]: An Italian traveler who visited India in the early 16th century, after Nikitin.

Correct Answer: A. Firishta

• **Firishta** = Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah, commonly known as Firishta, authored 'Tarikh-i-Firishta', a comprehensive history. • **Early 17th century** — This period saw the completion of 'Tarikh-i-Firishta', a vital source for the history of various Muslim dynasties in India. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Khafi Khan: authored 'Muntakhab-ul-Lubab', a different historical work; Badauni: wrote 'Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh' during Akbar's reign; Barani: known for 'Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi' concerning the Delhi Sultanate.

Correct Answer: D. Domingo Paes

• **Domingo Paes** = He was a Portuguese traveler who visited the Vijayanagara Empire during the reign of Krishna Deva Raya. • **16th century** — Domingo Paes's vivid descriptions provide essential insights into the Vijayanagara Empire during this period. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Duarte Barbosa: another Portuguese traveler to Vijayanagara, but his accounts are distinct from Paes'; Vasco da Gama: famous for discovering the sea route to India, not for detailed accounts of Vijayanagara; Fernao Nuniz: another Portuguese chronicler, visited later in the 16th century, after Paes.

Correct Answer: A. A group of scholars

• **A group of scholars** = A committee of about 50 legal scholars compiled 'Fatwa-i-Alamgiri' under Aurangzeb's direct supervision. • **50 legal scholars** — This significant number of scholars compiled 'Fatwa-i-Alamgiri', which became the principal legal text for the Mughal Empire's judicial system. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Aurangzeb himself: he commissioned the work but did not personally author it; Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi: a prominent Sufi scholar of the Naqshbandi order, active earlier; Shah Waliullah: an important Islamic scholar and reformer of the 18th century.

Correct Answer: C. Fa-Hien

• **Fa-Hien** = He was a Chinese Buddhist monk who visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II and wrote about the prosperity of the Gupta Empire. • **5th century** — Fa-Hien's detailed accounts serve as a primary source for understanding the social conditions of India during this century. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Hiuen Tsang: visited India during Harsha's reign (7th century), much later; I-Tsing: a Chinese Buddhist monk who visited India in the late 7th century; Megasthenes: a Greek ambassador to Chandragupta Maurya's court (4th century BCE).

Correct Answer: D. Megasthenes

• **Megasthenes** = He was a Greek ambassador sent by Seleucus Nicator to the court of Chandragupta Maurya and authored the book 'Indica'. • **4th century BCE** — Megasthenes's observations in 'Indica' offer crucial insights into the Mauryan administration and society of this era. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Chanakya: author of 'Arthashastra', a treatise on statecraft, not 'Indica'; Dionysius: an Egyptian ambassador to the court of Bindusara, not known for 'Indica'; Deimachus: a Syrian ambassador to Bindusara's court, not known for 'Indica'.