A Quest for Adventures and Knowledge: From France to India

The seventeenth century was a time of great social revolution in Europe, and France in particular. Fuelled by the Renaissance and a thirst for intellectual growth, many travelled to the East seeking answers and adventures.

Voyages by Jean Baptiste Tavernier (Source: i-diamants)

Growing as a major world power and a cultural centre, France became a seat of enlightenment in the 1600s and more people were finding themselves dissatisfied with the existing political and religious beliefs, leading to revolutions and the Renaissance. During this period, men of all stature began their journeys of exploration to the East, and India was a common destination for most of them.

Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a diamond merchant who had enough wealth to fulfil his travel desires, found a fancy for the East and voyaged multiple times to Persia and India between 1630 and 1668. Travelling via Aleppo in Syria and Persia, he reached India and made a trip to the Kingdom of Golconda, visiting the Mughal court of Emperor Shah Jahan on the way. A diamond merchant of the highest degree, he was fascinated by the diamond mines of India and covered its breadth through multiple voyages over the next few decades.

His successive voyages in the 1650s and 1660s took him through Masulipatnam, Gandikota, Golconda, Surat and Ahmedabad, where he procured extensive knowledge of the overland eastern trade routes which brought the French merchant in proximity with the greatest oriental stones. Post his travels, he went on to publish “Les Six Voyages”, a travelogue that captured the essence of his travels to the East and provided much insight into the commerce and trade aspects of a world that lay thousands of miles away.

A few years before Bernier left India in 1666, another young man from France entered the Indian waters with a desire for exploration, equipped with linguistic skills and an interest in natural sciences. Jean de Thevenot, a botanist with a fortune to fund his travel desires, had coincidentally met Jean Baptiste Tavernier in Iran from where they had proceeded to India, albeit separately. Arriving at the port of Surat, Thevenot remained in India for thirteen months and crossed the country through Golconda and Masulipatnam.

A naturally observant and curious fellow, Thevenot foraged through the lands of India, adding collections that piqued his interest in natural sciences. While in Ahmedabad, he was fascinated by the grandeur of the Moti Shahi palace and described it in vivid detail, so his French readers could relate to the similar Cours de la Reine of Paris. Awed by the number of trees inside and outside the city, Thevenot found himself at home and fell in love with the city.

During his lifetime and posthumously, several of his travel experiences were published that established his identity as an author. Having travelled across the world, he was able to provide his readers with well-written details of the cultures and traditions of the medieval world.

It was explorers like these who took it upon themselves to travel the world and mine the ores of knowledge that paved the way for a great Cultural Revolution in France. Even today, the nation is a booming hub for arts and culture, and the contributions of the early-day explorers will never be forgotten.

Around the time when Tavernier was voyaging through India in 1658, arrived a man who was destined to be the physician to the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, Francois Bernier. Educated in medicine and a travelling philosopher by heart, he first met Prince Dara Shikoh who quickly became fond of the Frenchman's ability to cure the agonies of his wife. Thus, he became acquainted with the Mughal royalty and found shelter in the royal court for the next twelve years.

Here, he got the opportunity to interact with scholars and nobility alike, providing him valuable insights into the life and culture of the subcontinent. Distilling his experiences in India, he published Histoires de la dernière Révolution des Etats du Grand Mogul, translated later, to Travels in the Mughal Empire. In a notable piece of writing in French literature, he praised the Indians’ sophistication and their curiosity towards scientific thinking.

On the other hand, he also proceeded to criticize the religious faiths and philosophy prevalent in India, taking inspiration from the Renaissance that was happening in his home country at the time. Over time, his travel narrative has evolved to be a valuable resource for the historians of Mughal India.

A Mughal Portrait of Francois Bernier (Source: Wikimedia)

Jean de Thevenot (Source: Huntington Library)