Which one of the following foreign travellers elaborately discussed about diamonds and diamond mines of India ?
- A.Francois Bernier
- B.Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
- C.Jean de Thevenot
- D.Abbe Barthelemy Carre
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. He was a French gem merchant, and his travel account describes India's diamonds and mines in detail. Tavernier made six voyages to the East between about 1630 and 1668 and visited India several times during the reigns of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. He went to the diamond mines of the Golconda region, such as Kollur on the Krishna, and recorded how the stones were dug, washed, weighed and sold. He also described the Mughal treasury and sold many large stones in Europe, including the blue diamond bought by Louis XIV that later became the Hope diamond. His book appeared in English as Travels in India. Option A is wrong because Francois Bernier was a physician who wrote about the Mughal court, Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb, and land ownership. Option C is wrong because Jean de Thevenot described the cities and roads he passed through in the 1660s. Option D is wrong because Abbe Carre was a French agent who wrote about his journeys and trade in the 1670s. Exam tip: Tavernier = diamonds and Golconda; Bernier = Mughal court and politics.
Practice Questions
View allStatement I: The British ruled India through a modern bureaucracy headed by the Indian Civil Service, whose members were recruited through merit based on open competition Statement II: The Indian Civil Service was based on the whole hearted participation of Indians
- A.Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I
- B.Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I
- C.Statement I is true but Statement II is false
- D.Statement I is false but Statement II is true
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The Indian Civil Service was a modern, merit-based bureaucracy filled through open competitive examinations from 1853, but Indians were kept out of it in practice for decades.
Read the full explanation →Chandimangala, a sixteenth century text, was composed by
- A.Hema Saraswati
- B.Madhav Kandali
- C.Tukaram
- D.Mukundaram Chakrabarti
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The Bengali poet Mukundaram Chakrabarti, honoured with the title Kavikankan, composed the Chandimangala in the sixteenth century. Mangalkavyas are long Bengali narrative poems in praise of a deity, and the Chandimangala celebrates the goddess Chandi.
Read the full explanation →Inspired by the Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi, in Tamilnadu, C. Rajagopalachari led a salt march from
- A.Tirunelveli to Nagercoil
- B.Kanchipuram to Mahabalipuram
- C.Trichinopoly to Vedaranniyam on Tanjore coast
- D.Chennai to Vellore
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In April 1930, C. Rajagopalachari led a band of volunteers from Tiruchirappalli, then called Trichinopoly, to Vedaranyam on the Tanjore coast, where they broke the salt law.
Read the full explanation →In the context of the history of India, consider the following pairs : (Term : Description) 1. Eripatti : Land, revenue from which was set apart for the maintenance of the village tank 2. Taniyurs : Villages donated to a single Brahmin or a group of Brahmins 3. Ghatikas : Colleges generally attached to the temples Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- A.1 and 2
- B.3 only
- C.2 and 3
- D.1 and 3
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Eripatti and Ghatikas are described correctly, but Taniyurs were not villages gifted to Brahmins. These terms come from inscriptions of early medieval South India, especially of the Pallava and Chola periods.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements : Statement-I : 7th August is declared as the National Handloom Day. Statement-II : It was in 1905 that the Swadeshi Movement was launched on the same day. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
- A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
- B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
- C.Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
- D.Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
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National Handloom Day falls on 7 August precisely to honour the Swadeshi Movement launched on that date in 1905. On 7 August 1905, a large meeting at the Calcutta Town Hall passed the boycott resolution against British goods in protest against the partition of Bengal, formally launching the Swadeshi Movement.
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