Who is the author of the book “Tahqiq-i-Hind”?

Question

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Correct — C, Al-Biruni. Al-Biruni (973–1048 CE), the Khwarazmian polymath who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni's campaigns into India, learned Sanskrit and studied Indian philosophy, astronomy and society at first hand, and wrote “Tahqiq-i-Hind” (also called “Kitab al-Hind”) — an early, analytical account of Indian civilisation for a foreign audience, completed around 1030 CE.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) A 14th-century Delhi Sultanate court historian (author of Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi), writing about the Sultanate itself — not the 11th-century Al-Biruni's account of India.  (b) A 13th–14th-century Indo-Persian poet and musician at the Delhi Sultanate court, celebrated for poetry and the qawwali tradition — not the author of Tahqiq-i-Hind.  (d) A 15th-century Timurid envoy who visited the Vijayanagara Empire and left a travel account of that kingdom — a different traveller, place and period from Al-Biruni's Tahqiq-i-Hind.

Concept: Tahqiq-i-Hind is considered one of the earliest serious scholarly accounts of India by a foreign writer, distinguished from typical travelogues by its analytical study of Indian religion, science, astronomy and customs — Al-Biruni even compared Indian ideas with Greek philosophy he already knew.

State PCS 2022 Q66 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2022 Q66 — History PYQ with Answer