Every voyager has a natural longing. It is about knowing people and exploring new world. Travelogues have a crucial role in history. It gives insights into cultural, economic, intellectual and social exchange among people. There are fascinating travelogues, mostly by foreign visitors in ancient India. We, therefore, have idea about foreigners and their perception about ancient India. Their travelogues say all about their experience of ancient time.
1. The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo
He was an explorer, merchant and writer from Venice who needs no introduction as he is one of the most celebrated travellers in the history of mankind. He travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. He visited India while he was on his way home from China and explored the country from 1288-1292 AD under the reign of the Pandya Kingdom. He wrote about his experience in his book ‘The Travels of Marco Polo’.
2. Accounts of Al-Masudi
Al Masudi spent 2 years in India between 941 AD and 943 AD. He was hailed as the “Herodotus of the Arabs”, given that he was the first Arab scholar to include historical and geographical science in his writing. In his accounts, he also mentioned Rashtrakutas.
3. Taqeeq-e-Hind & Kitab al-Hind by Alberuni
Alberuni visited the Indian subcontinent in 1017. He was brought to India by Mahmud Ghazni. After travelling through India, he wrote a work concerning Indian culture. In his work “Taqeeq-e-Hind“, he discussed the circumstances and customs of Indian continent. His work, Kitab al Hind (The Book of India) is an extensive study of Indian society, science religion, and philosophy.
4. Murjal Sahab by Al Samudi
The Arab traveller came to India in AD 957. He had detailed about the India he saw in his book ‘Murjal Sahab’. The book discusses India’s political, economic and religious history.
5. Si-Yu-Ki by Hiuen Tsang
Everyone must have heard about Hiuen Tsang, as his voyage through India was part of our history textbooks, making him one of India’s most celebrated travellers. He visited India in 630 AD to learn about Buddhist beliefs and practices. He was popularly known as the prince of pilgrims as he spent most of his time in India studying the caste system of the country. He travelled through the Deccan, Orissa, Bengal, Kashmir, Punjab, Bodh-Gaya, and Sarnath. He described India as a prosperous country. He also described Indians as lovers of education, literature and fine arts.
Hiuen Tsang studied at the University of Nalanda in present day Bihar. In his book, he describes Nalanda as abode of knowledge. Students from round the globe used to arrive here for learning. The admission in this University was very difficult. Hiuen Tsang considered himself a scholar but failed to pass the exam initially. Even the gatekeeper was so scholastic that he could take the exam for admission. However, the third attack on Nalanda burnt it for 3 months continuously. Thankfully, Hiuen Tsang managed to bring around 700 books on his own to China with his cleverness.
6. A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms by Faxian
Faxian (Fa Hien) was a Buddhist monk who travelled from China via Central Asia to India. He stayed in India for 6 years, from 399–414 AD. He came here seeking better copies of Buddhist books than were available in China. Faxian’s visit to India occurred during the reign of Chandragupta II. However, he mentions nothing about the Guptas in his book. He is known for his famous travelogue – A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms. ‘Foguoji’ is one of his famous books.
7. Indica by Ctesias
A Greek physician and historian, Ctesias wrote about India around 400 BC. His book is called Indica. However, it should not be confused with Indica by Megasthenes. Both are different travelogues. Ctesias wrote a record detailing the views that Persians held of India. It includes descriptions of the Indus River, god-like people, ferocious and mythical creatures, philosophers, artisans, and unquantifiable gold (a fountain which is filled every year with liquid gold), among other riches and wonders. It also carries an excellent account of the native tribes of India of the time – Cynocephali (hunter-gatherers) & Pygmies, Calystrii (men with a head of dog). Ctesias relates these fables as perfect truth. He adds that he himself had seen with his own eyes some of the things he describes. The book only remains in fragments. It is described in reports by later authors.
8. Indica by Megasthenes
Megasthenes was an ambassador to Seleucus Nicator of Seleucid dynasty to Chandragupta Maurya in Pataliputra. He visited the Mauryan court somewhere between 302 and 298 BCE.
He wrote about India and also that of Chandragupta’s reign. However, his book Indica is lost. But it is partially available mostly in the form of quotations and derivative works of later Roman historians like Diodorus, Strabo, Pliny, and Arrian. Megasthenes’ Indica describes India’s geography, history, flora and fauna, economy, society and administration during the Roman period. In his book, he records Kerala as ‘Chereme’. Megasthenes also describes about India’s two major rivers Sindhu and Ganga.
9. Indikê by Nearchus
Nearchus was one of the mentors of Alexander who was also an officer in his army. He then became the admiral of Alexander’s fleet.
During the invasion of India, he was one of the two commanders of the Shieldbearers, a heavy infantry unit. He is known for his celebrated voyage from the Indus River to the Persian Gulf following the Indian campaign of Alexander the Great, in 326–324 BC.
Nearchus wrote an account of his journey down the Indus River called Indikê. This text is now lost. But its contents are known from sources including Indikê by Arrian of Nicomedia and The Geography by Strabo of Amasia. It seems to have consisted of two parts. The first half contained a description of India’s borders, size, rivers, population, castes, animals -especially elephants, armies and customs. The second half described Nearchus’ voyage home.
10. Topographia Christiana by Cosmos Indicopleustes
Cosmos Indicopleustes was a Byzantine monk who sailed to India during the 6th century. He wrote the book Topographia Christiana. He describes his travels in India and the trade routes along Arabian Sea. He provides one of the earliest descriptions of the coastal cities of India. He also mentions the prosperity of Indian trade.
11. Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
It was supposedly written between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. It describes navigation and trading opportunities from ancient Roman-Egyptian ports like Berenice. It also mentions Southwestern Indian ports like Barygaza (present-day Bharuch in Gujarat) in goods like wine, copper, tin, flint glass, gold, slaves, silk and ivory.
It is undoubtedly a first-hand narration by someone acquainted with the area. Because it is nearly matchless in providing precise insights into what the ancient European world knew about the lands around the Indian Ocean.
These were some travelogues we have the idea about by the people in the past. Without these, the history we know is incomplete. We are grateful that they survived till date. In the modern history, the travelogues accelerated to many numbers. It is huge in numbers since then.
By: Harshik
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