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Indian HistoryMediumAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2018, GAT

Who among the following travellers was from Italy and visited Vijayanagar Kingdom in the fifteenth century?

  1. A.Nikitin
  2. B.Fa-Hien
  3. C.Bernier
  4. D.Nicolo Conti

Correct answer

D. Nicolo Conti

Explanation

The correct answer is D, Nicolo Conti. The Venetian merchant Nicolo de Conti visited Vijayanagara around 1420, during the reign of Deva Raya I.

Conti travelled widely in Asia and later told his story to the papal secretary Poggio Bracciolini, who wrote it down in Latin. He described the great size of the city of Vijayanagara, its walls running up the hills, its army and the Deepavali and other festivals he saw there. Other foreign visitors to Vijayanagara include Abdur Razzaq from Persia in the reign of Deva Raya II, and the Portuguese Domingo Paes and Fernao Nuniz in the sixteenth century.

A is wrong because Afanasy Nikitin was a Russian merchant who visited the Bahmani kingdom in the fifteenth century. B is wrong because Fa-Hien was a Chinese Buddhist pilgrim who came during the reign of Chandragupta II. C is wrong because Francois Bernier was a French physician who visited the Mughal court in the seventeenth century.

Exam tip: Conti from Italy, Abdur Razzaq from Persia, Paes and Nuniz from Portugal, Nikitin from Russia to the Bahmanis.

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Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2018, GATHard

Who gifted the Badshah Nama to King George in 1799?

  1. A.Abul Fazl
  2. B.Abdul Hamid Lahori
  3. C.Nawab of Awadh
  4. D.William Jones
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Nawab of Awadh

In 1799 the Nawab of Awadh presented an illustrated manuscript of the Badshah Nama to King George III of Britain, and it is now kept in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle.

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2024, GATHard

Consider the following Women’s Associations and their important associates in early twentieth century India :

1. Women’s Indian Association of 1917 : Margaret Cousins

2. National Council of Women in India of 1925 : Sarala Devi Chaudhurani

3. Bharat Stree Mahamandal of 1910 : Lady Meherbai Tata

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched ?

  1. A.1, 2 and 3
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1 and 2 only
  4. D.1 only
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 1 only

Margaret Cousins was a founder of the Women’s Indian Association, but pairs 2 and 3 have their associates swapped. The Women’s Indian Association was founded at Adyar, Madras, in 1917 by Annie Besant, Margaret Cousins, Dorothy Jinarajadasa and others; it campaigned for women’s franchise and education.

Q4.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2026, GATHard

Which one of the following inscriptions records the history of a guild of silk weavers?

  1. A.The Hathigumpha inscription
  2. B.The Mandasor inscription
  3. C.The Kudumiyamalai inscription
  4. D.The Udayagiri Cave inscription
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The Mandasor inscription

This fifth-century Sanskrit inscription from Mandasor in western Madhya Pradesh tells how a guild of silk weavers migrated from Lata (south Gujarat) to Dashapura and built a temple of the Sun.

Q5.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2018, GATHard

Which one of the following statements about Renaissance Humanist culture is NOT true ?

  1. A.It slackened the control of religion over human life
  2. B.It believed that human nature was many-sided
  3. C.It was concerned with good manners
  4. D.It criticized material wealth, power and glory
Show answer
Correct answer: D. It criticized material wealth, power and glory

Renaissance humanists did not condemn wealth, power and glory; they saw them as worthy human aims, so this statement is the one that is not true.