The Mughal Empire, which conquered and ruled virtually all of today's India, Pakistan and Bangladesh over several centuries, created one of the richest and most colourful of all historical periods. Peoples of different cultures - including Muslims, Christians, Hindus and others, originating from Iran, Central Asia, Europe and South Asia itself worked, traded and travelled throughout the Empire, contributing to its dynamism and power. A few of the Europeans who began crisscrossing the roads of Mughal India wrote, in the forms of diaries, letters and travelogues, about the people and lands they encountered.This illuminating and carefully chosen anthology contains a collection of among the best writings by European travellers from England, Italy, Russia, France, Spain and Portugal as they journeyed the length and breadth of the Empire over a 200-year period (1471-1671). Their experiences and observations form fascinating and informative visions of travel and life in India during this period and provide invaluable contributions to our understanding of life there at the time.