Who among the following has described the medieval Indian postal system as of two kinds—the horse-post called ‘Uluq’ and the foot-post called ‘Dawa’?
Ibn Battuta
Understanding the Medieval Indian Postal System Description
The question asks us to identify the historian or traveler who provided a detailed account of the medieval Indian postal system, specifically mentioning its division into two types: the horse-post known as 'Uluq' and the foot-post known as 'Dawa'. This system was crucial for communication and administration during that era.
Ibn Battuta and the Indian Postal System
Among the options provided, the renowned Moroccan traveler and scholar, Ibn Battuta, is well-known for his extensive travels, including his time in India during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq of the Delhi Sultanate. His travelogue, 'Rihla', contains valuable descriptions of various aspects of Indian society, administration, and infrastructure, including the postal system.
Ibn Battuta explicitly described the efficiency of the postal system in India. He detailed how it facilitated rapid communication and the movement of goods and people. According to his account, the system consisted of two main types:
- Uluq (Horse-Post): This was the faster system, primarily used for carrying royal mail, important documents, and sometimes, individuals. It involved horses stationed at regular intervals along the routes, allowing couriers to quickly switch horses and cover long distances rapidly.
- Dawa (Foot-Post): This was the foot-post system, which was even faster for certain types of communication over shorter distances or in areas difficult for horses. It involved runners stationed at short distances (often about a third of a mile or less), passing the message or item like a relay race. The runners would carry a baton with bells, whose sound would alert the next runner to be ready.
Ibn Battuta's detailed description highlights the sophisticated nature of the communication network in medieval India under the Delhi Sultanate, capable of transmitting news and goods over vast distances surprisingly quickly for the time.
Analyzing Other Options
Let's briefly look at the other options:
- Al-Biruni: An Iranian scholar who visited India with Mahmud of Ghazni much earlier than Ibn Battuta (around the 11th century). While he wrote extensively about Indian sciences, philosophy, and society in his work 'Kitab fi Tahqiq ma li l-Hind', his descriptions of the postal system, if any, are not as prominent or detailed with the specific 'Uluq' and 'Dawa' terminology as Ibn Battuta's account.
- Duarte Barbosa: A Portuguese writer and explorer who visited India in the early 16th century, after the Delhi Sultanate period described by Ibn Battuta. His focus was more on the coastal regions and trade networks during that later period.
- Seydi Ali Reis: An Ottoman admiral and cartographer who visited India in the mid-16th century. Like Barbosa, his visit was later than the period Ibn Battuta described, and his writings primarily concern navigation and contemporary political events.
Therefore, the most accurate source among the given options for the specific description of the medieval Indian postal system as 'Uluq' and 'Dawa' is Ibn Battuta.
Conclusion
Ibn Battuta, through his detailed observations recorded in the 'Rihla', provided a vivid account of the efficient medieval Indian postal system, categorizing it into the horse-post (Uluq) and the foot-post (Dawa). His description is a key source for understanding communication networks during the Delhi Sultanate period.
| Scholar/Traveler | Period in India | Relevant Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Biruni | 11th Century | Scholarship on Indian sciences and society; less detailed on postal system specifics compared to Ibn Battuta. |
| Duarte Barbosa | Early 16th Century | Account of coastal India and trade during a later period. |
| Ibn Battuta | 14th Century (Delhi Sultanate) | Detailed description of 'Uluq' (horse-post) and 'Dawa' (foot-post) postal system. |
| Seydi Ali Reis | Mid-16th Century | Account focused on navigation and later period events. |
Revision Table: Medieval Indian Postal System
| Term | Description | Attributed to |
|---|---|---|
| Medieval Indian Postal System | Communication network during Sultanate period | Ibn Battuta (detailed account) |
| Uluq | Horse-post system | Ibn Battuta |
| Dawa | Foot-post system | Ibn Battuta |
Additional Information: Medieval Postal Systems
The postal system described by Ibn Battuta was vital for the functioning of the large Delhi Sultanate. It allowed the rulers to maintain control over distant provinces, gather intelligence, and dispatch orders quickly. The 'Uluq' facilitated the movement of important state communications, while the 'Dawa' was remarkably effective for rapid information transfer over shorter segments, enabling swift dissemination of news and official decrees.
The efficiency of this system impressed foreign travelers like Ibn Battuta, highlighting the administrative capabilities of the Delhi Sultanate. Relay systems, whether by horse or foot, were a common method for rapid communication across vast empires before the advent of modern technology, and the Indian system described by Ibn Battuta was considered particularly well-organized and fast for its time.
Similar Questions
Who among the following travellers was from Italy and visited Vijayanagar Kingdom in the fifteenth century?
Which of the following were features of the postal system of India as described by Ibn Battuta?
1. The foot post carries a ringing bell in one hand.
2. The horse post is called uluq, stationed at a distance of every four miles.
3. The foot post or dawa has one station at every four kos of distance.
4. The foot post is quicker than the horse post.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- Arrange the following foreign travel-lers to India in chronological order, beginning with the earliest :
1. Peter Mundy
2. Antonio Monserrate
3. Afanasii Nikitich Nikitin
4. Ibn Battuta
Select the answer using the code given below: Who among the following was associated with the Mughal Court as a physician to Prince Dara Shikoh?
Consider the following statements about the travellers who visited India:
1. Abdur Razzaq Samarqandi from Herat visited Delhi and Daulatabad
2. lbn Battuta provides detailed accounts of both Delhi and Daulatabad
3. According to Francois Bernier, there was no private property in land in Mughal India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Important Questions from Travellers of Medieval India
Foreign traveller Ibn Battuta, who came to India during the medieval period, had come from?
Francisco Pelsart was a _____ traveller.
Who among the following foreign travelers wrote that the Vijayanagara Empire had an estimated "90,000 men fit to bear arms"?
Pick the right sequence as per chronological order in terms of visits of the following foreign travelers in India
A. Marco Polo
B. Duarte Barbosa
C. Nikitin
D. Peter Mundy
E. Francois Bernier
Choose the correct answer from the options given below
Who among the following travellers visited a "Hospital of Birds" at Cambay in 1623-24, where he saw some lame, sick and mateless birds and some tiny orphan mice. He writes, "A venerable old man with a white beard was keeping them in a box amongst cotton, with his spectacles on his nose, giving them milk to eat with a bird's feather, because they were so little that as yet they could eat nothing else, and as he told us, he intended when they are grown up to let them go free whither they please".
