Who described Mughal cities of the 17th-century as 'Camp Towns'?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Francois Bernier
Bernier described Mughal cities as “camp towns”, towns that owed their existence, and depended for their survival, on the imperial camp.
NCERT (2026-27): “6.2 A more complex social reality … In fact, during the seventeenth century about 15 per cent of the population lived in towns. This was, on average, higher than the proportion of urban population in Western Europe in the same period. In spite of this Bernier described Mughal cities as ‘camp towns’, by which he meant towns that owed their existence, and depended for their survival, on the imperial camp. He believed that these came into existence when the imperial court moved in and rapidly declined when it moved out.…” |