List of Foreign Envoys Visited Ancient India – Foreign Travellers

List of Foreign Envoys Visited Ancient India – foreign travellers

List of Foreign Envoys Visited Ancient India: In the history of ancient India we can see many foreign envoys/foreign travellers. The envoy is an ambassador or a messenger of a respective country. In government entrance exams, generally we can see one or two questions from the history of India. Megasthenes was the first Foreign Envoy/traveller of India and ambassador of Selecus Nikator. Megasthenes visited the Chandragupta Maurya court in 3rd century BC. We have great foreign envoys like Fa-Hien, Hiuen-Tsang, I-tsing, Al-Masudi, Marco Polo and Dominigo Paes etc. These are the great travelers and foreign envoys visited India in their time respectively. Here we have listed the foreign envoys or travelers who visited ancient India. We hope this topic will help you in competitive exams.List-of-Foreign-Envoys-Visited-Ancient-India

Foreign Envoys List Visited Ancient India:

Ancient ambassador in India: The information depicted in the bellow section will give complete knowledge regarding the foreign envoys who traveled to India/ancient ambassador came to India and their books. Many foreign envoys described in their books regarding the circumstances of their time. They described lot of things in their writing about the living conditions of people of different dynasties in India. These foreign envoys writing are very useful to the out ancient India’s history very clearly.

list of foreign travellers who came to india:

1. Megasthenes (Greek) (302-298 BC) :

Megasthenes was a famous Foreign Envoy and ambassador of Selecus Nikator of Syria .
He visited the Chandragupta Maurya (Sandrokattes) court.
He wrote the great book Indica which explains the reign of Chandragupta Maurya.
He explained Social and administrative status at the time of Mauryas.
Megasthenes was the first foreign envoy who visited India

2. Fa-Hien (China) (405-411 AD):
Fa-Hien is a Foreign Envoy  who visited India at the time of Chandragupta II, known as Vikramaditya.
He was a Chinese pilgrim. Fa-Hien was the first Chinese pilgrim to visit India.
Fa-Hien came to India to collect Buddhist texts and relics.
Fa-Hien visited Lumbini, the Buddha’s birth place.
He compiled his experiences in a travelogue “Record of Buddhist Kingdoms”

3. Hiuen-Tsang (China) (630-645 AD):
Hiuen-Tsang is a Foreign Envoy  who visited India during the time of Harshavardhana.
He Reached India through Tashkent and Swat Valley
He wrote his experiences in his book Si-yu-ki or the ‘Records of Western World .

4. I-tsing (671-695 AD):
I-tsing was A Chinese traveler, I-tsing visited India in connection with Buddhism.

5. Al-Masudi (957 AD):
Al-Masudi was An Arab traveler, he explained about India in his book Muruj-ul-Zehab.

6. Al-beruni (Parsia) (1024-1030 AD):
Al-beruni is a Foreign Envoy  who visited India along with Ghazni at the time of his Indian raids.
Al-beruni is the first muslim scholar who studied Inida.
He travelled all over India .
He popularly known as Founder of Indology.
His famous book was ‘Tahqiq-i-Hind’ which explains about India.

7. Marco Polo (1292-1294 AD):
Marco Polo was a Foreign Envoy and Venetian traveler
In 1294 A.D. he visited South India.
Marco Polo visited Rudramadevi’s Kakatiya dynasty.
H is very popular to travel through number of eastern countries.
He wrote his experiences in his book ‘The Book of Sir Marco Polo’.
This book explains the economic history of India.

8. Ibn Batuta (1333-1347 AD):
Ibn Batuta was A Morrish traveler, he wrote the book ‘Rehla’ (The Travelogue).
In his book he explained the dynasty of Muhammad-bin-Thuglak and also the economical, social and geographical status of his time.




9. Shihabuddin al-Umari (1348 AD):
Shihabuddin al-Umari was A traveller from the country Damascus.
His book is Masalik albsar fi-mamalik al-amsar. He explained Indian History in it.

10. Nicolo Conti (1420-1421 AD):
Nicolo Conti was A Venetian tourist.
He visited India at the time of Devaraya I of Vijayanagar empire (Sangam dynasty).

11. Abdur Razzaq (1443-1444 AD):
Abdur Razzaq was aforeing envoyer
He was the Ambassador of Shahrukh of Timurid Dynasty
A Persian tourist. In India he stayed at the court of the Zamorin at Calicut.
He give a clear account of the Vijaynagar empire and his kingdom.
Ambassador of Shahrukh of Timurid Dynasty
Came during the rule of Devaraya II of Sangam dynasty of Vijayanagar empire.

12. Athanasius Nikitin (1470-1474 AD):
Athanasius Nikitin was a merchant from Russian.
He explained the living conditions of the Bahmani kingdom which is under Muhammad III (1463-82).

List of Foreign Envoys Visited Ancient India – Ancient ambassador in India

13. Durate Barbosa (1500-1516 AD):
Durate Barbosa was a tourist form Portuguese.
He gave acomprahensice description of the Vijaynagar Empire’s government and people.

14. Dominigo Paes (Portuguese) (1520-1522 AD):
Dominigo Paes was a tourist from Portuguese.
He visited the court of Sri Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagara of Tuluva Dynasty.

15. Fernao Nuniz (Portuguese) (1535-1537 AD):
He was a merchant from Portuguese.
He wrote the earliest and closing years of Achyutdeva Raya’s reign of Tuluv Dynasty.

16. John Hughen Von Linschotten (British) (1583 AD):
A Dutch traveler, give a vivid account of the social and economic life of South India.

17. William Hawkins (1608-1611 AD):
William Hawkins was an ambassador of British King James I.
He sent him to court of Jahangir the Mughal Emperor (1609).

18. Sir Thomas Roe (British)  (1615-1619 AD):
He was an ambassador of James I (The King of England) at the court of Jahangir.

19. Fransciso Palsaert (1620-1627 AD):
He was a Foreign Envoy from Dutch.
HE lived in Agra and gave a comprehensive account of flourishing trade at Ahmedabad, Surat, Broach Cambay, Multan, Lahore etc.

20. Peter Mundy (1630-34 AD):
He was an Italian tourist. He Mughal empire in the reign of Shahjahan.
He gave a ivi account of the living conditions of the people in Mughal Empire.

21. John Albert de Mandesto (1638 AD):
He was Foreign Envoy from Germany.
He visited Surat in 1638.

22. Jeen Baptiste Travernier (1638-1663 AD):
Travernier was a French traveler.
He explained the reign of Shahjahan and Aurangzeb.

23. Nicolao Manucci (1653-1708 AD):
He was a traveler Italy.
He stayed at the court of Dara Shikoh.

24. Francois Bernier (1656-1717 AD):
Francois Bernier was a French physician and philosopher.
His patron was Danishamand Khan, a noble of Aurangzeb.

25. Jean de Thevenot (1666 AD):
He was French tourist.
He gave a vivid account of cities like Cambay, Ahmedabad, Goloconda and Aurangabad.

25. John Fryer (1672-1681 AD):
He was an English traveler.
He gave a good account of Surat and Bombay.

26. Gemelli Careri (1693 AD):
He was an Italian traveler.
He explained Mughal emperor’s military organization and administration

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