My new book is an account of Bharat through the eyes of European travellers, covering the medieval period between the 15th and 19th centuries. My earlier books, “Swift Horses Sharp Swords”, “A Never-Ending Conflict”, and “Temple Treasures”, were well-received in the market and presented entirely new thoughts on Indian history.
India’s rich and complex history has fascinated scholars and storytellers for centuries. In ancient times, travellers’ primary objectives in exploring India were to seek ultimate wisdom from the Vishwa Guru through Indic philosophy, science, metaphysics, culture, and religion and carry it to their countries. Many spent decades acquiring original texts and scriptures, copying them from originals and translating them to their indigenous language while residing in famous monasteries and ancient universities like the one in Nalanda. However, India’s pole position was long lost by the medieval era.
Among the many facets of the vast historical tapestry are the accounts of European travellers who ventured into the subcontinent during the turbulent medieval era. These narratives, written from an outsider’s perspective, provide a unique window into India’s past. While the works of European travellers to India have been valuable, they are shaped by their own cultural and academic frameworks. An Indian author like me brings an altogether different perspective with insider knowledge. By incorporating indigenous as well as foreign sources, oral histories, numismatics, and archaeological evidence, I could provide a more holistic view of India’s medieval past.
Medieval India was a melting pot of cultures, where trade, religion, and diplomacy brought together people from diverse corners of the world. European travellers like Marco Polo, Niccolò de’ Conti, Tavernier, Manucci, Afanasy Nikitin, François Bernier and many others documented their journeys, giving us glimpses of these cross-cultural exchanges. The stories they wrote about India are not found anywhere else. Being white Christians, they all had privileged access to the Mughal courts right from Akbar to Aurangzeb to Shah Alam.
Keeping such ethos in mind, my inspiration came from seeing India through the eyes of those who journeyed across continents to reach it. All these travellers looked at India from diverse points of view. Moreover, they were separated from each other by centuries, came from different regions of Europe, and were sufficiently remote, both in time and space, to convey a historical significance to their respective observations. Their eyes and ears were untrained, and they came here as independent persons, not as messengers from their respective rulers, barring William Hawkins, imparting even more worthiness to their accounts. They wrote as they saw.
During the medieval era, European travellers embarked on remarkable journeys to India that authentically chronicled the course of Indian history. These courageous explorers, often driven by a thirst for knowledge, trade opportunities, or just wanderlust, left their homelands, sometimes even without the consent of their parents, to explore the rich, exotic, and distant land of India. These travellers faced dangerous journeys, with obstacles ranging from marauding gangs, harsh climates and unknown diseases, to treacherous terrain and cultural differences. Nonetheless, their desire to explore India’s exotic and distant lands propelled them forward.
The memoirs of the travellers reveal the continuity of India’s cultural and economic significance over time. The accounts describe not only the wealth of India’s rulers but also its people’s intellectual and artistic richness. India emerged as a land of immense diversity, with advanced systems of governance, education, trade, and religion, even though India was subjugated politically. Their accounts also highlight India’s pivotal role in global trade networks, mainly through its renowned goods such as spices, textiles, diamonds and precious stones. They invariably discussed the daily social, economic and religious life of Indians. Mark Twain, an American traveller in the 19th century, was so fascinated by religious fervour in Varanasi that he dubbed it Idolville or Lingamburg. Nevertheless, every traveller had a greater affinity with Muslims than Hindus, whom they dubbed idol-worshippers. Despite this, almost all the travellers were tried to be converted to Islam. Willam Hawkins even converted to Islam, hoping to extract a beneficial trade deal from Jahangir. Along the way, they noted the depravity of the Mughals and their nobles. Manucci penned extensively about their harems and what went behind the thick opaque curtains. He also wrote that the Mughals went over heels to acquire sex slaves of every nationality, race, class and religion. All these travellers did not try to whitewash the Mughal shenanigans as was done by Muslim historians.
For me, these accounts represented an opportunity to explore how outsiders viewed India. How did these travellers interpret Indian society, culture, and governance? Where did they misunderstand or misrepresent Indian traditions due to cultural biases or limited knowledge? For example, they criticised Sati while totally disregarding witch-hunting back home. Similarly, they came down heavily on thugee but overlooked the more violent phenomenon of highwaymen. They dubbed the caste system as inhuman but kept silent on raging wars between Protestants and Catholics. Many of the later travellers of the 19th century, like Fanny Parkes and Maud Diver, consciously or unconsciously, painted India in ways that justified European intervention. They even tried to whitewash British crimes and portrayed colonialism as a white man’s burden.
Historical narratives are not confined to the past; they also have value for the present era. They keep influencing how nations perceive themselves and each other today. Writing about European travellers has enormous contemporary relevance. Many misconceptions about India, especially the caste system and idol worship, rooted in these medieval accounts, persist in global discourse. By reinterpreting these accounts, I promoted a more nuanced understanding of India’s history and its relationships with Europe. Highlighting India’s historical connections with Europe can also serve as a foundation for strengthening modern ties. Afanasy Nikitin, a Russian traveller, came to India in the 15th century. After independence, his visit was celebrated to highlight the historic Indo-Russian friendship during the Nehru-Khrushchev era. He must be the only one on whom a full-fledged Hindi movie, ‘Pardesi’, was made, which starred the top heroine of the time: Nargis.
By engaging with these accounts, I could reconstruct the narrative to reflect a more balanced perspective, acknowledging both the travellers’ observations and the Indian reality they encountered. Grappling with biased sources, reconciling conflicting narratives, and constructing a coherent history was both challenging and rewarding. My present work adds to the growing body of scholarship that seeks to balance historical narratives and highlight India’s multifaceted past.
For me, it was a journey of rediscovery and reclamation. It was also a chance to revisit the past through critical and empathetic eyes, addressing biases while celebrating the richness of India’s history. By learning from the mistakes committed during the medieval period, India can reclaim its pole position again and aspire to become Vishwa Guru again.
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