The correct option is 1 and 3 only
Explanation
European travellers visiting India during the medieval period provided extensive accounts of the political, social, and economic conditions. While some focused on the Mughal court, others documented the Vijayanagara Empire and South Indian society.
Statement 1: Correct
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605-1689) was a French gem merchant and jeweller. He is renowned for making six voyages to India between 1630 and 1668. His accounts cover the reigns of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, and he is particularly famous for describing the diamond mines of Golconda and the Peacock Throne.
Statement 2: Incorrect
Niccolao Manucci (1638-1717) was an Italian traveller and writer who reached India as a teenager. He served in the artillery of Dara Shikoh and later worked as a physician. Unlike Tavernier or Bernier, Manucci did not return to Europe; he settled in India and eventually died in Madras (Chennai). His memoirs, Storia do Mogor (Mogul India), were sent to Europe for publication but he remained in India.
Statement 3: Correct
Duarte Barbosa was a Portuguese official and writer who visited India in the early 16th century (c. 1500-1516), primarily during the time of the Vijayanagara Empire (reign of Krishnadevaraya). He wrote a detailed account of the trade, society, and geography of South India and the Indian Ocean littoral. Although he predates the establishment of the Mughal Empire (1526), the statement describing his work is factually correct.
Key Takeaway:
Tavernier (French jeweller) and Bernier (French physician) returned to Europe to publish their accounts, whereas Manucci (Italian) settled and died in India. Barbosa is associated with the Vijayanagara Empire, not the Mughals.