Which one of the following European travellers was a jeweller by profession and visited India six times during the seventeenth century?

The correct option is Jean-Baptiste Tavernier.

Explanation

During the 17th century, the Mughal Empire attracted numerous European travellers, merchants, and professionals who documented the region's wealth, administration, and trade. Their accounts serve as vital primary sources for this period.

Traveller Analysis:

• Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (Correct): He was a French gem merchant and jeweller. He is historically renowned for undertaking six voyages to India and Persia between 1630 and 1668. His work, The Six Voyages of John Baptiste Tavernier, provides detailed insights into the diamond mines of India (such as Golconda) and the grandeur of the Mughal court, including descriptions of the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
• Francois Bernier: A French physician and traveller who visited India during the mid-17th century (1658-1670). He was associated with the courts of Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb. His work, Travels in the Mogul Empire, focuses on political and military history rather than the gem trade.
• Duarte Barbosa: A Portuguese official and writer who visited India in the early 16th century (c. 1500-1516). His accounts primarily describe the Vijayanagara Empire and the Malabar coast, predating the 17th-century context of the question.
• Peter Mundy: An English merchant and traveller who visited India during the reign of Shah Jahan (17th century). He is noted for his descriptions of the common people and the devastating Deccan Famine of 1630-32, but he was not a jeweller by profession.

Key Takeaway:
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was the 17th-century French jeweller famous for his six voyages to India and his detailed accounts of the diamond trade and Mughal wealth.