Who described Mughal cities as “camp towns”?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Francois Bernier
The French physician Francois Bernier, who travelled in the Mughal Empire in the seventeenth century, described Mughal cities as “camp towns”. By this he meant towns that came up when the imperial camp arrived and declined quickly when it moved away; in his view they had no firm social and economic foundation of their own and depended on imperial patronage. In fact, about 15 per cent of the population then lived in towns, more than in Western Europe at the time, so Bernier’s picture was far too simple.
Note: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| 13-05 S2 | 15-05 S2* | – | – | – |
* A similar question.
NCERT (2025-26): “6.2 A more complex social reality … 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. He suggested that they did not have viable social and economic foundations but were dependent on imperial patronage.…” |