"In India a village must be very small indeed if it has not a money changer called a shroff". Identify the narrator-traveller.

Correct option is A

The narrator-traveller who made the statement: "In India a village must be very small indeed if it has not a money changer called a shroff" is:  Jean Baptiste Tavernier

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Jean Baptiste Tavernier was a 17th-century French gem merchant and traveler who made six voyages to India. His detailed account of Indian trade, commerce, and daily life, Travels in India, is a valuable source for the period.
His observation regarding the ubiquity of the shroff (money changer or banker) highlights a key feature of the Mughal and post-Mughal Indian economy:
The shroffs performed essential banking functions, including:
Changing currency: Dealing with the vast number of coins from different empires and regions.
Testing purity: Determining the value of metal in coins.
Issuing hundis (bills of exchange): Facilitating long-distance trade by offering credit and money transfer services.

Tavernier's remark emphasizes the high level of commercial activity and the sophistication of the financial system that extended even into small villages in India.