Revision summary
Faxian and Xuanzang supply dated pictures of Gupta and Harsha India and of Buddhist monasteries. Al-Biruni studies Indian science and society; Ibn Battuta describes Tughlaq Delhi and travel. Arab geographers map monsoon ports on the west coast. All travellers carry religious and court bias and miss much of rural life. They matter most when read with inscriptions and excavation.
Model answer
Flow diagram
flowchart TD C[Faxian Xuanzang Yijing] --> B[Buddhism Harsha Nalanda] A[Al-Biruni Ibn Battuta] --> S[Learning ports Sultanate] B --> H[History of India] S --> H E[Inscriptions archaeology] --> H
Conclusion
- Read Chinese and Arab texts as one layer with epigraphy, archaeology, and Indian literature, not as a substitute for them.
- Use them especially for chronology, foreign trade, and the outsider’s view of caste, law, and faith.
Chinese pilgrims reconstruct Buddhist India and Harsha’s world; Arab scholars and envoys reconstruct learning, ports, and the Sultanate. Reconstruction is sound only when these voices are weighed against Indian records and the ground.
Quick related
Students also ask
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Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times.
Next question in the 2018 paper (Q3). View answer →
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Can Indian history be written only from these travellers?
No. They skip long periods and many regions. Inscriptions, coins, and archaeology remain the backbone.
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Why are Chinese sources strong on Buddhism?
The writers were monks seeking texts and relics. They noticed sangha and stupas more than land revenue or village caste.
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