Afanasy Nikitin Facts for Kids

Afanasy Nikitin (Russian: Афана́сий Ники́тин; died 1472) was a Russian merchant from Tver. He was one of the first Europeans to travel to India and write about his experiences. His famous story is known as The Journey Beyond Three Seas (Russian: Хождение за три моря, Khozhdeniye za tri morya).

Nikitin's Amazing Journey
Nikitin's Faith on His Journey
Remembering Afanasy Nikitin
In Culture
Images for kids
See also

Nikitin's Amazing Journey

In 1466, Afanasy Nikitin began a long business trip to India from his hometown of Tver. He traveled down the Volga River. Even though some Tatars attacked and robbed him near Astrakhan, he managed to reach Derbent. There, he tried to find a way to return to Russia, but he couldn't.

Across Persia and the Sea

So, Nikitin continued his journey. He went to Baku and then crossed the Caspian Sea into Persia. He lived in Persia for about a year. In the spring of 1469, Nikitin arrived at the city of Ormus. From there, he crossed the Arabian Sea and finally reached the Bahmani sultanate in India.

Nikitin stayed in India for three years. He seemed to earn his living by trading horses. During his time there, he visited a special Hindu holy place called Perwattum, which he described as "the Jerusalem of the Hindus."

Return Home

On his way back, Nikitin visited places like Muscat, a sultanate in Somalia, and Trabzon. In 1472, he crossed the Black Sea and arrived in Feodosiya. Sadly, Afanasy Nikitin died later that year, not far from Smolensk, while on his way back to Tver.

What Nikitin Learned in India

During his travels, Nikitin learned a lot about the people of India. He studied their social system, how their government worked, and even saw war-games with war elephants! He also observed their economy, religion, daily lives, and natural resources.

Nikitin's detailed notes are a very important source of information about India during that time. He wrote about trade in places like Hormuz, Cambay, Calicut, Dabhol, Ceylon, Pegu, and China. He also described royal events and other important gatherings in Bahmani, and the wonders of the big fair at Perwattum. He even compared things in India to things in Russia, which is very interesting!

Nikitin's Faith on His Journey

Being so far from home and his own culture was hard for Nikitin. He mentioned several times in his writings that he felt sad about being away from his Christian faith. He even called his journey a "sinful voyage."

Nikitin tried to keep track of Christian holidays, but it was difficult because he couldn't remember when they were. He wrote about how he couldn't celebrate Easter or other special Christian days, or keep the Christian fasts like Lent. Because of this, he sometimes followed the fasts of the Muslims he was with. He also wrote that he "shed many tears for the Christian faith" during his journey. Near the end of his account, he wrote about how much he wanted to return home and to his Christian faith. He said, "I, Afanasy, a damned servant of Almighty God... pondered over the Christian faith... and I longed to go [back] to Rus!"

Remembering Afanasy Nikitin

Afanasy Nikitin is remembered as an important explorer.

Monuments and Stamps

In 1955, a bronze monument to Afanasy Nikitin was built in Tver, his hometown, on the bank of the Volga River. The sculptor was Sergei Orlov. There's a popular story that this statue was built quickly because Nikita Khrushchev, a leader of Russia, told the Prime Minister of India that there was a statue of Nikitin in Russia, when there wasn't one yet! To avoid looking like he lied, Khrushchev supposedly ordered the statue to be built right away.

In 2005, the statue was featured on a Russian postage stamp. Nikitin was also shown on a coin in 1997 to celebrate the 525th anniversary of his journey.

Films and Expeditions

In 1958, a Russian film studio called Mosfilm worked with an Indian production company to make a movie about Nikitin. It was called The Journey Beyond Three Seas, and Oleg Strizhenov played Afanasy Nikitin.

In 2000, a black stone monument was put up in Nikitin's honor in Revdanda, India. This is probably where he first arrived in India.

In 2006, an Indian group called Adventures & Explorers organized a special "Nikitin Expedition." Fourteen travelers set out from Tver to follow Nikitin's original route through Russia, the Middle East, Central Asia, and finally to India. The trip lasted from November 2006 to January 2007. After reaching India, two members of the group continued to retrace Nikitin's travels within India itself.

Other Honors

The Afanasy Nikitin Seamount, a large underwater mountain in the Indian Ocean, is named after him.

In Culture

The rock band Aquarium wrote a song called "Afanasy Nikitin Boogie."
The power metal band Epidemia composed a song called "Хождение за три моря" ("Walking the Three Seas") about Nikitin's writings.
A brand of beer from Tver is named "Afanasy" after him.