Match the following Travelers/Writers in List 1 with the most appropriate description that suits them in List 2 correctly:

Choose the correct answer from the given options:

 (A)-(IV), (B)-(III), (C)-(I), (D)- (II)

The correct answer is Option 2 - (A)-(IV), (B)-(III), (C)-(I), (D)- (II)

Correct Match:

Explanation:

Among the best-known Portuguese writers is Duarte Barbosa, who wrote a detailed account of trade and society in South India.

Al-Biruni gave a detailed description of the Caste system in India. Al-Biruni’s description of the caste system was deeply influenced by his study of normative Sanskrit texts which laid down the rules governing the system from the point of view of the Brahmanas. However, in real life the system was not quite as rigid. For instance, the categories defined as antyaja (literally, born outside the system) were often expected to provide inexpensive labour to both peasants and zamindars. In other words, while they were often subjected to social oppression, they were included within economic networks.

François Bernier is perhaps the only historian who provides a detailed account of the working of the imperial karkhanas or workshops. François Bernier was a French traveler who came to India during the 17th century. Bernier’s Travels in the Mughal Empire is marked by detailed observations, critical insights, and reflection. His account contains discussions trying to place the history of the Mughals within some sort of a universal framework. He constantly compared Mughal India with contemporary Europe, generally emphasizing the superiority of the latter. His representation of India works on the model of binary opposition, where India is presented as the inverse of Europe. He also ordered the perceived differences hierarchically, so that India appeared to be inferior to the Western world.

Pelsaert, the Dutch traveller visited the subcontinent in the seventeenth century and was shocked to see the widespread poverty in the country. Like Bernier, he was shocked to see the widespread poverty, “poverty so great and miserable that the life of the people can be depicted or accurately described only as the home of stark want and the dwelling place of bitter woe”.