Which European traveller had observed, "A Hindu woman can go anywhere alone, even in the most crowded places, and she need never fear the impertinent looks and jokes of idle loungers"?
- A.Francois Bernier
- B.Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
- C.Thomas Roe
- D.Abbe J. A. Dubois
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, Abbe J. A. Dubois. The remark comes from Abbé Jean-Antoine Dubois, a French Catholic missionary who lived in south India, mostly in Mysore, from 1792 to 1823. Dubois dressed and lived like the people around him and recorded their customs in great detail. His book, published in English as 'Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies' (1816), describes caste, festivals, family life and the position of women, and it remains a much-quoted source on south Indian society around 1800. The observation about women moving freely in crowded places without fear of insult is one of its best-known lines. Option A is wrong because Francois Bernier was a French physician at Aurangzeb's court who wrote 'Travels in the Mogul Empire'. Option B is wrong because Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was a French jewel merchant of the seventeenth century, known for his accounts of diamonds and trade. Option C is wrong because Sir Thomas Roe was the English ambassador of James I at Jahangir's court. Exam tip: Bernier and Tavernier wrote of the Mughals; Dubois wrote 'Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies'.
Practice Questions
View allWith reference to the Indo-Roman trade in ancient India, the term 'aurei' refers to :
- A.Perfume
- B.Wine
- C.Black Pepper
- D.Coins
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Aurei (singular aureus) were the gold coins of the Roman Empire, and large numbers of them reached India in payment for Indian goods.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following scholars of Akbar's court translated Bhaskaracharya's Lilavati into Persian?
- A.Abul Fazl
- B.Faizi
- C.Fathullah Shirazi
- D.Ataullah Rashidi
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Faizi, Akbar's poet laureate and the elder brother of Abul Fazl, translated the Lilavati into Persian in 1587. The Lilavati is the arithmetic part of the Siddhanta Shiromani, written by the mathematician Bhaskaracharya (Bhaskara II) in the twelfth century, and it covers numbers, fractions, progressions and measurement.
Read the full explanation →Which of the pairs of Ashokan inscription and location is/are correctly matched ?
1. Jaugada : Karnataka
2. Bahapur : New Delhi
3. Rajula-Mandagiri : Andhra Pradesh
Select the answer using the codes given below :
- A.1 only
- B.1,2 and 3
- C.3 only
- D.2 and 3 only
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Jaugada is in Odisha, not Karnataka, so only pairs 2 and 3 are right. Jaugada, in Ganjam district of Odisha, is one of the two places, with Dhauli, that carry Ashoka's Separate Kalinga Edicts.
Read the full explanation →The Bali Jatra fair, which recalls the ancient sea voyages of Indian merchants to Southeast Asia, is held in which state?
- A.Odisha
- B.West Bengal
- C.Gujarat
- D.Tamil Nadu
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Bali Jatra, meaning the voyage to Bali, is held at Cuttack on the bank of the Mahanadi on Kartik Purnima, when people float small paper and banana bark boats in memory of the merchants of Kalinga who sailed to Bali, Java, Sumatra and Borneo; the same day is marked as…
Read the full explanation →Korkai, the pearl fishery port of the Pandyas in the Sangam age, stood on which river?
- A.Kaveri
- B.Vaigai
- C.Tamraparni
- D.Palar
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Korkai lay near the mouth of the Tamraparni in the present Thoothukudi district, and it was the headquarters of the Pandya pearl fishery of the Gulf of Mannar, praised by the Periplus and by the Sangam poets; the sea has since receded and left the site inland.
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