The traveller François Bernier was from which country?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → France
François Bernier, a Frenchman, was a doctor, political philosopher and historian who was in India from 1656 to 1668.
Note: The original NTA paper printed the name of the traveller as ‘Francis Buchanan’. This is a mistake, since the answer given by NTA, France, is the country of François Bernier, while Francis Buchanan was a physician who served in the Bengal Medical Service and surveyed districts of Bengal for the East India Company. Therefore, the name has been corrected to ‘François Bernier’, for the benefit of students.
NCERT (2026-27): “3. François Bernier A Doctor with a Difference … François Bernier, a Frenchman, was a doctor, political philosopher and historian. Like many others, he came to the Mughal Empire in search of opportunities. He was in India for twelve years, from 1656 to 1668, and was closely associated with the Mughal court, as a physician to Prince Dara Shukoh, the eldest son of Emperor Shah Jahan, and later as an intellectual and scientist, with Danishmand Khan, an Armenian noble at the Mughal court.… Who was Buchanan? … Francis Buchanan was a physician who came to India and served in the Bengal Medical Service (from 1794 to 1815). For a few years he was surgeon to the Governor-General of India, Lord Wellesley. During his stay in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), he organised a zoo that became the Calcutta Alipore Zoo; he was also in charge of the Botanical Gardens for a short period. On the request of the Government of Bengal, he undertook detailed surveys of the areas under the jurisdiction of the British East India Company. In 1815 he fell ill and returned to England.…” |