Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation
The medieval Indian writer who refers to the discovery of America is:
Solution & Analysis
Answer: D
Concept
The Mughal court was highly intellectual and globally aware. Through trade and European travelers, knowledge of the 'New World' reached India, and it was documented by the empire's most prominent scholars.Explanation
Abul Fazl, the grand vizier and official historian of Akbar, mentions the discovery of the 'New World' (America) in his encyclopedic work, the Ain-i-Akbari. He was a polymath who kept the Mughal court informed about global developments, including the voyages of European explorers.Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Abul Fazl’s work was not just a history of India but a record of all known knowledge of that era.
Logic 2: Other writers like Amir Khusrau or Malik Muhammad Jaisi belonged to earlier periods or focused on devotional literature, whereas Abul Fazl was a contemporary of the early colonial era and had access to global information.