Expected topics (UPSC Mains 2021) for Art and Culture

Art forms and architecture (ancient)

• Art of IVC: Stone statue, Bronze casting, terracotta, seals, pottery ornaments.
• Mauryan arts: Pillar, Stupa, caves, sculpture, Terracotta.
  • Pillar and Stupa→ high chance.
  • Rock cut caves–
    • Not only Mauryan period but throughout the ancient period. It started during Mauryan period and culminated during Rashtrakutas.
    • Rock cut architecture favorite of UPSC. Question has been asked two times from this topic.
• Post Mauryan:
  • Gandhara sculpture has been asked two times. So, Mathura and Amaravati sculptural art ko thik se padh lijiye.
  • Differences between Besnagar and Mauryan pillars.
  • Sungas contribution to stupa art– Sanchi and Barhut stupa.
    • They are considered to have persecuted Buddhists, but still partonized stupa art. So question related this can be asked.
  • Amrawali stupa.
  • Rock cut architecture.
• Gupta arts:
  • Sculpture, painting mainly.
    • Painting (Ajanta painting) → high chance
    • Numismatic art has been asked already.
  • Free-standing temples
  • Rock-cut Cave architecture- Ajanta, Bagh and Udayagiri.
• Pallava
  • sculptural and Painting. But, Sculpture main hai.
  • Temple architecture– All three phases.
• Chalukya architectures:
  • Cave architecture at Aihole and Badami.
  • Temple architecture- at Aihole, Badami, Pattadakal.
• Chola bronze sculpture.
  • Chola temple has been asked previously.
• Rashtrakutas:
  • Ellora and Elephanta caves and Painting and Sculptures inside these caves.
  • The content inside the rock-cut caves (e.g. paintings and sculptures) is important. → Valid for all period of ancient history.

Literature (ancient and medieval)

• • Shruti literature as source of history
  • Arthashastra
  • Foreign account for Indian history-
    • Greek
      • Indica (ye main hai),
      • Pliny’s natural history, Ptolemy Geography, periplus of the erythraean sea: memorise only some important observations.
    • Chinese and Arab account has been asked already but have some broad idea because general question about foreign accounts can be asked.
      • Alberuni Kitab-ul-Hind is important.
  • Ashokan dhamma- Memorise some important content of Ashoakn pillar and rock edicts.
  • Puranas and Epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata)
  • Kalidas’s works.
  • Kalhan Rajatarangini
  • Sanskrit and Hindi literature of medieval India
    • Persian literature aa chuka hai.
  • Growth of Hindi and Urdu
  • Amir Khusrau contribution to Poetry, literature and History
  • Barani account
  • Historiography of India-
    • Sense of History in ancient India
    • Orientalist, Nationalist and Marxist approaches to study Indian history.
  • If time permits:
    • Buddhist and Jain texts: Both canonical and non-canonical
    • Smriti literature
    • Book for progress of science and tech- Aryabhatiyam, Panchasidhhatika, Brihatsamhita etc.
    • Lekhapaddhati as source of history
    • Bhakti and Sufi literatures

Art and architecture(Medieval)

• Architecture:
  • Temple architecture- Nagara, Vesara and Dravidian
    • Odisha, Kashmir, Khajuraho temple architecture
    • Hoysala temple architecture
  • Sultanate and Mughal contribution to architecture.
    • New technologies introduced during these periods
    • Culmination during Shahjahan
  • Vijayanagar architecture
• Bhakti and Sufi movement-
  • Causes and impact
  • Monotheist and Vaishnava bhakti movement- differences.
  • Contributions of Acharyas- Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya
  • Major figures like Kabir, Guru Nanak, Lal Ded etc.
  • Bhakti saints from Maharashtra- Jnaneswar, Eknath, Namdev, Tukaram
  • Contribution of Bhakti anf sufi saints for cultural syncretism
• Painting
  • Mughal painting,
    • Developments during Jahangir
  • Rajput painting
  • pahari paining,
  • ragmala ainting
  • Deccan painting
  • Patna Kalam
• Hindustani and carnatic music
• Classical dance forms