François Bernier mentions which among the following in his 'Travels in the Mughal Empire'?
A. Agriculture and Craft Production
B. Female Slaves
C. Karkhanas
D. Postal System
E. Child Sati
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A, C, E only
A. Agriculture and Craft Production Correct. Bernier described both agriculture and craft production: a large part of the country was extremely fertile, and Bengal surpassed Egypt not only in rice, corn and other necessaries of life but also in silks, cotton and indigo.
B. Female Slaves Incorrect. It is Ibn Battuta who tells us about slaves: the Sultan kept a slave with every noble to spy on him, and slave girls passed on what they knew to female scavengers who entered the houses unannounced.
C. Karkhanas Correct. Bernier is perhaps the only historian who provides a detailed account of the working of the imperial karkhanas or workshops.
D. Postal System Incorrect. It was Ibn Battuta who was amazed by the efficiency of the postal system, which let merchants send information, remit credit and dispatch goods over long distances.
E. Child Sati Correct. One of Bernier’s most poignant descriptions is of a young widow at Lahore, not more than twelve years of age, who was forced to the pyre and burnt alive.
NCERT (2026-27): “7. Women … Contemporary European travellers and writers often highlighted the treatment of women as a crucial marker of difference between Western and Eastern societies. Not surprisingly, Bernier chose the practice of sati for detailed description. He noted that while some women seemed to embrace death cheerfully, others were forced to die.… …Ibn Battuta was also amazed by the efficiency of the postal system which allowed merchants to not only send information and remit credit across long distances, but also to dispatch goods required at short notice.…”
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