Art and Culture- Important Topics, Notes For UPSC Exam

Art and Culture UPSC

The UPSC syllabus does not explicitly mention the art and culture segment, but questions are asked in prelims and mains. The art and culture part correlates with the syllabus’s History part. The following are the key aspects that ought to be covered while preparing the art and culture notes for UPSC:

• Examine the importance of the three art forms in developing human personality.
• The objectives and aims of performing arts and their growth through numerous stages.
• Development and growth of drama through numerous phases in India and recognize the contribution of folk theatre.
• Use of performing arts during the medieval and ancient periods.
• Secular and Religious Art in India
• Appreciation of the contribution of classical dances, folk music, and folk dances to Indian culture and the obstacles faced by performing Arts.

Indian Art and Culture UPSC Notes

The NCERT Books for UPSC are an important source to start the preparation of Art and Culture NCERT notes. Following this, one can refer to the Books, CCRT, and NIOS material. The NCERT books cater to the foundations and core concepts and get in touch with the pivotal topics of the syllabus. This will aid the candidates in performing exceptionally and extraordinarily in the exam. The topics that are essential and should be covered for the UPSC Exam are:

Language and Literature

• Trends in Medieval Literature
• Modern Indian Literature
• Classical languages: Evolution & impact on society
• Tamil language and Sangam Literature
• Vedic Literature

Paintings in India

• Prehistoric Rock Paintings
• Medieval Period
  • Pala school of miniature paintings
  • Mughal miniature paintings (synthesis of Indian and Persian styles)
  • Development of Pahari, Rajput, and Deccan Paintings
• Modern Period
  • Bengal school of Art
  • Renaissance or revivalist painting
  • Madras School of Art
• Decorative Art
  • Madhubani
  • Kalamkari
  • Kalighat
  • Warli
  • Pattachitra
  • The theme of decorative paintings in India
• Religious Philosophies
  • Buddhism and its impact
  • Jainism and its impact
  • Sufism and its impact
  • Vedanta Philosophy
• Bhakti Traditions

Music

• Hindustani Music evolution, features and impact
• Carnatic Music evolution, features and impact
• Regional music and its impact
• Contribution of Some personalities: Amir Khusro, Mohammad Shah
• Modern Music
• Evolution of Indian Music
• Hindustani and Carnatic music differences and similarities

Dance

• Well-known Classical dancers of India
• Classical Dances of India
• Themes in Indian folk dances
• Tracing Evolution of Dance (Rig Veda, Harappa, Nataraja)

Drama

• Introduction ( Natyashastra)
• Famous Modern Dramas and Dramatists.
• Various texts relating to the Drama period wise (ex Mahabhasya, mrichhakatika)
• Evolution of Drama in India

Bronze Sculptures in India

• Harappan “Dancing Girl”
• Nataraja
• Pala school of Art (Bronze images, Manuscripts)
• Chola Bronzes
• Jain Tirthankaras Bronze Images
• Pallava Bronze Images
• Buddha bronze Images (ex Guptas and Vakatakas)

Visual Arts

• Buddhist Sculpture
• NayakaTemples
• Temples of Assam
• Temples of Khajuraho
• Temples of Gujarat
• Sculptures of Harappan Civilisation
• Sculptures of the Mauryan Age
• Vijaynagar Period Temples
• Indo-Islamic Architecture
• Architecture
• Post-Mauryan Period
• Jain Sculptures
• Temples of Odisha
• Coinage
• Temples of Bengal
• Regional Paintings
• Medieval School of Sculpture
• Pahari School of Painting
• Modern Paintings
• Mauryan Architecture
• Rashtrakuta Period Temples
• Gupta Sculpture
• Temples of Kerala
• Contemporary Paintings
• Temples of Himachal Pradesh
• Gupta Period
• Post-Mauryan Period
• Temples of Gwalior
• Chola Period Temples
• Temples of Rajasthan
• Modern Architecture
• Cave Paintings
• Modern Indian Sculpture
• Paintings in the Deccan
• Miniature Painting in South India
• Temples of Jammu and Kashmir
• Pallava Period Temples
• Pandya Temples
• Tradition of Mural Paintings in India
• Temple Architecture
• Tradition of Miniature Paintings in India
• Harappan Period
• Rajput School of Painting
• Pottery Tradition
  • Ochre: Coloured Pottery(OCP)
  • Black and Red Ware (BRW)
  • Painted Grey Ware (PGW)
  • Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW)
  • Glazed and Unglazed Pottery

Architecture

• Post Mauryan Architecture
• Colonial Architecture
• Architectural Style of Harappan Civilisation
• Medieval Period architecture
• Impact of Persian and Greek invasion on Indian culture
• Monolithic Temples
• Emergence of Nalanda as centre of learning
• Rock Cut temples
• Early Temples
• Influence of Buddhism and Jainism on Indian architecture
• Spread of Indian Culture to Southeast Asia
• Free Standing Temples
• Indo Islamic Architecture
• Pallavas as great temple builders
• Gandhara and Mathura school of Art
• Conservation and Preservation of Architectural Structures
• Mauryan Architecture (322-182 BC)
• Nagara and Dravida Styles
• Cultural development during Gupta Age

Religion

• Sufism
• Saints of Bhakti Movement
• Buddhism
• Islam
• Jainism
• Hinduism
• Sikhism
• Bhakti Movement
• Christianity
• Judaism
• Pre-Vedic Religion
• Zoroastrianism
• Philosophy in India

Performing Arts

• Music in India
• Classical Indian Music
  • Main Pillars of Indian Music
  • Forms of Indian Music
  • Musical Instruments
  • Institutions Related to Music in India
  • Folk Music
• Dances of India
  • Concept of Dance in India
  • Concept of Ashta Nayika
  • Rasa and Bhava
  • Eight Classical Dance Forms in India
  • Folk Dances
  • Modern Dances
• Sports in India
  • Various Types of Sports
  • Genesis of Martial Arts
  • Forms of Traditional Martial Arts
  • Animal Sports
• Indian Theatre
  • History of Theatre in India
  • Traditional Theatre
  • Regional Theatre
  • Modern Theatre in India
  • Renaissance of Indian Theatre
  • Cinema in India
• Indian Puppetry
  • String Puppets
  • Shadow Puppets
  • Rod Puppets
  • Glove puppets
  • Modern Puppetry
  • Tribal Puppetry

Miscellaneous

• Government Cultural Institutions in India
• UNESCO’s List of Cultural Heritage in India
• Protection and Promotion of Indian Culture and Heritage: Legal Provisions
• Schemes and Awards
  • Awards and Honours Associated with Culture
  • International Yoga Day
  • Indian Handicrafts

• Schemes for Cleanliness of Tourist Places
• Bathu Kamma
• Muziris Heritage Site
• Mahapushkaram
• Chapchar Kut Festival
• Swadesh Darshan
• Project Mausam
• Bharat Parv
• Ganga sagarmela
• Losar festival
• Prasad Scheme
• The Calendar & the Eras
• Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
• International Buddhist Conclave
• Schemes for Serious Literature and Litterateurs
• Cultural Mapping of India
• Schemes for Development of Cultural Heritage
• National Mission on Manuscripts
• Orange Festival Nagpur
• Important Festivals
• Swachh Bharat Swachh Smarak
• Wangala Festival
• ‘Swachh Bharat Swachh Paryatan’
• Personalities Related to Culture
• Jallikattu
• Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission
• National Virtual Library of India
• Manipur Sangai Festival
• Sanskriti App
• Incredible India 2.0 Campaign
• Schemes for Monument Development
• Hornbill Festival
• UNESCO inscribes Yoga in the representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
• World’s Heritage
• Nabakalebar Rath Yatra
• International Initiatives for Cultural Development and Recognition
• Paryatan Parv
• Sankalp Parva-Sankalp se Siddhi’
• National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities
• Kheer Bhawani festival
• Intangible Cultural Heritage under UNESCO has inscribed ´Kumbh Mela’
• Protest against Sunburn fest
• GI Tag
• Kambala
• 2017 Teesta Rangit Tourism Festival
• Places of Cultural Interest
• UNESCO Creative Cities Network
• Schemes for promotion of Culture
• Adarsh Smarak Yojana
• Cultural Scheme Monitoring System
• UNESCO Global Geopark
• Science and Technology in Ancient India
• HRIDAY

How to Prepare Art and Culture Notes for UPSC

Art and culture notes are a pivotal and crucial segment of the UPSC exam. To formulate an effective and efficient UPSC Preparation Strategy the candidates can get in-depth detail and knowledge of the topics that behold importance. The aspirants can refer to the following books to cover the core concepts and fundamentals.

• Refer to NCERT: To get a grasp of the core concepts and fundamentals, one should refer to the NCERT books to make a solid foundation.
• Follow Recommended Books: After covering the essential segments of NCERTs, one can refer to the books for the UPSC exam. One can also get in touch with the essential segments of the Art and Culture Books to make notes.

One should also practice UPSC Previous Year Questions to understand the UPSC Exam Pattern. Besides this, the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) website can also prove helpful for the Notes preparation.

Art and Culture Notes for UPSC PDF

An in-depth knowledge of the subjects and the essential topics will lead the candidates in accomplishing the cognizance and knowledge of the core concepts. Well-curated notes formulated by the experts have been presented here. The aspirants can click on the link and get ideation of the topic and bring forth a methodical strategy for the same.

Art and Culture UPSC PDF

Accurate knowledge of the syllabus and exam pattern will lead the candidates on the right way. The enhanced and upgraded strategy for preparing for the exam will aid the candidates in performing extraordinarily well in the exam.