Which medieval traveler or chronicler made notable references to the diamond mines and flourishing trade in precious stones situated within the territory of Dakshina Kosala and its neighboring kingdoms?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, the renowned French gem merchant who traveled extensively through India during the seventeenth century, documented the diamond mining operations and commercial transactions in central India, including regions contiguous to modern Chhattisgarh. His accounts provide invaluable economic data on mineral extraction and royal monopolies under regional potentates. Diamonds from the Mahanadi and Son river basins were prized internationally during the Mughal era.