Every region of India has its own cultural and historical identity. Foreign travellers, travels and their experience covers the local customs, traditions and lifestyle in a travelogue, due to this we get an exclusive opportunity to read and learn about earlier times era. So, Travellers or ambassadors were domestic agents who have served rulers and nations for millennia through their accounts and travelogue or treatise.
Here is the Complete List of Important Foreign travellers or Envoys in Indian history which is very important for examinations like UPSC, State Services, SSC etc.
| Travellers | Reign of Rulers | Contribution and Misc. |
|---|---|---|
| Deimachos Period: (320-273 BC) Who: Greek Ambassador | Came India in the reign of Bindusara. | - |
| Megasthenes Period: (302-298 B.C.) Who: Greek ethnographer & ambassador. | Ambassador of Seleucus Nicator, who visited in the court of Chandragupta Maurya. | Wrote an interesting book Indica. |
| Ptolemy Period: 130 A.D. Who: From Greece and Geographer. | - | Wrote “Geography of India” which gives the description of Ancient India. |
| Fa-Hien Period: (405-411 A.D.) Who: Chinese Buddhist Monk | Came to India in the reign of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya. | - Visited the birth place of Buddha, Lumbini. - His Travelogue “Records of Buddhist Kingdoms”. - Wrote Fo-Kyo-Ki. |
| Hiuen-Tsang Period: (630-645 A.D.) Who: Chinese Buddhist Monk | Visited India during the reign of Harshavardhana. | - Came through Tashkent and Swat Valley. - Book is “Si-Yu-Ki or the records of western world”. |
| I-tsing Period: ( 671- 695 A.D.) Who: Chinese traveller | Visited India in connection with Buddhism. | - His works are Biographies of Eminent Monks. - Gives useful information about the social, religious and cultural life of the people of this country. |
| Al-Masudi Period: (957 A.D.) Who: Arab Traveller | - | Gives an extensive account of India in his work “Muruj-ul-Zahab”. |
| Al- Beruni or Abu Rehan Mahamud Period: (1024-1030 A.D.) Who: Muslim Scholar and Polymath | Came along with Mahmud Ghazni during one of his Indian raids. | - First Muslim Scholar to study India also known as founder of Indology. - Wrote “ Tahqiq-i-Hind/Kitab-ul-Hind. |
| Marco Polo Period: (1292-1294 AD) Who: Venetian Traveller | Visited South India in 1294 A.D during the reign of Pandyan ruler of Madurai, Madverman, Kulshekhara (1272-1311) | His work “The Book of Sir Marco Polo” which gives an invaluable account of the economic history of India. |
| Ibn Batuta Period: (1333-1347 A.D.) Who: Morrish traveller | Visited India during the reign of Muhammad-Bin-Tughlaq. | His book “ Rehla” (the travelogue) |
| Shihabuddin al-Umari Period: (1348 A.D.) Who: Came from Damascus | - | He gives a vivid account of India in his book “ Masalik albsar fi-mamalik al-amsar” |
| Nicolo Conti Period: (1420-1421 A.D.) Who: Venetian traveller | Came during the rule of Devraya I of Sangam Dynasty of Vijayanagar empire. | Given a graphic account of Vijayanagaras capital. |
| Abdur Razzaq Period: (1443-1444 A.D.) Who: Persian traveller, Ambassador of Shahrukh of Timurid dynasty. | - Came during the rule of Devraya II of Sangam dynasty of Vijaynagar Empire. - Came in India at Zamorin's Calicut. | Given a brief account of this countryside, in his Matla us Saddin wa Majuma ul Baharain. |
| Athanasius Nikitin Period: (1470- 1474 A.D.) Who: Russian merchant | Visited South India in 1470. | -He describes the condition of the Bahmani kingdom under Muhammad III (1463-82). - His narrative “ The journey beyond 3 seas” |
| Duarte Barbosa Period: (1500-1516 A.D.) Who: Portuguese traveller | - | He has given a brief description of the government and the people of Vijayanagar Empire. |
| Domingo Paes Period: (1520-1522 A.D.) Who: Portuguese traveller | Visited the court of Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagar Empire. | - |
| Fernao Nuniz Period: (1535-1537 A.D.) Who: Portuguese merchant | Came during the rule of Achyutdeva Raya of Tuluv dynasty of vijayanagar Empire. | Wrote history of the empire from its earliest times of the closing years of Achyutdeva Raya’s reign. |
| John Hughen Von Linschotten Period: (1583 A.D.) Who: Dutch traveller | - | Given a valuable account of the social and economic life of South India. |
| William Hawkins Period: (1608-1611 A.D.) Who: Ambassador of James I, king of England. | Came in India at the reign of Jahangir,the great Mughal Emperor. William finch came with him. | - |
| Sir Thomas Roe Period: (1615-1619 A.D.) Who: Ambassador of James I, king of England. | Came in India at the reign of Jahangir,the great Mughal Emperor. | - |
| Edward Terry Period: (1616 A.D.) Who: Ambassador of Thomas Roe. | - | Describe about Indian social (Gujarat) behaviour. |
| Franciso Palsaert Period: (1620-1627 A.D.) Who: Dutch traveller stayed at Agra. | - | Gave a vivid account of the flourishing trade at Surat, Ahmadabad, Broach, Cambay, Lahore, Multan etc. |
| Peter Mundy Period: (1630-34 A.D.) Who: Italian traveller | Came in the reign of the Mughal Emperor, Shahjahan. | Gives valuable information about the living standard of the common people in the Mughal Empire. |
| John Albert de Mandesto Period: (1638 A.D.) Who: German traveller | Reached Surat in 1638 A.D. | - |
| Jeen Baptiste Tavernier Period: (1638-1663 A.D.) Who: French traveller | Visited India 6 times in the reign of Shahjahan and Aurangzeb. | - |
| Nicolao Manucci Period: (1653-1708 A.D.) Who: Italian traveller | He got service at the court of Dara Shikoh. | - |
| Francois Bernier Period: (1656- 1717 A.D.) Who: French physician and Philosopher. | Danishamand Khan, a noble of Aurangzeb was his patron. | - |
| Jean de Thevenot Period: (1666 A.D.) Who: French traveller | - | Given an account of cities like Ahmadabad, Cambay, Aurangabad and Golconda. |
| John Fryer Period: (1672-1681 A.D.) Who: English traveller |
| Given a vivid account of Surat and Bombay. |
| Gemelli Careri Period: (1695 A.D.) Who: Italian traveller who landed at Daman. | - | His remarks on the Mughal emperor’s military organisation and administration are important. |
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