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Syllabus & PYQ

Indian Culture - Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times
Indian Culture - Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to
modern times
Indian Art Forms • Bhakti & Sufi Movements
• Indian Paintings ◦ Spread of Bhakti and Sufi Movements
◦ Mural Paintings ◦ Women Poets of Bhakti
◦ Miniature Paintings Literature
◦ Mughal, Rajput, Pahari Paintings • Classical Sanskrit Literature
• Dances in India ◦ Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas
◦ Classical Dance Forms ◦ Books written by Kalidasa, Vishakhadatta etc
◦ Folk Dance Forms • Ancient Buddhist Literature
◦ Modern Dance • Ancient Jainism Literature
• Music • Early Dravidian Literature (eg Sangam Period)
◦ Classical Music • Medieval Literature
◦ Folk Music • Trends in Medieval Literature
• Puppetry • Modern Indian Literature
◦ String Puppets Architecture
◦ Shadow Puppets • Harappan Architecture
◦ Rod Puppets • Mauryan Architecture
◦ Glove puppets • Post-Mauryan Period Gupta Period
◦ Modern Puppetry • Temple Architecture
◦ Tribal Puppetry ◦ Nagara Style
• Pottery ◦ Dravida Style
◦ Ochre Coloured Pottery(OCP) ◦ Vesara Style
◦ Black and Red Ware (BRW) • Cave Architecture
◦ Painted Grey Ware (PGW) ◦ Buddhist Cave
◦ Northern Black Polished Ware ◦ Jaina Caves
(NBPW) ◦ Gupta Period Caves
◦ Glazed and Unglazed Pottery • Medieval and Indo-Islamic Architecture
• Drama/Theatre ◦ Imperial Style Delhi Sultanate
◦ Classical Sanskrit Theatre ◦ Provincial Style
◦ Regional Theatre ◦ Mughal Style
◦ Modern Theatre ◦ Sikh Style of Architecture
• Martial Arts ◦ Rajput Architecture
◦ Thang Ta ◦ Salient features
◦ Gatka • Colonial Architecture & Modern Architecture
◦ Kalaripayattu ◦ European Influence
◦ Mallakhamb ◦ Indo-Saracenic Architecture
◦ Silambam ◦ Post-Independence Period
◦ Other Important Martial Arts • Contribution of Buddhism & Jainism to the
• Visual Art Development of Indian Architecture
◦ Sculptures of Harappan Civilization • Rock Cut Architecture
◦ Sculptures of the Mauryan Age ◦ South Indian
◦ Post-Mauryan Period ◦ Western Indian
◦ Jain Sculptures ◦ Eastern Indian
◦ Buddhist Sculpture
◦ Gupta Sculpture
◦ Medieval School of Sculpture
To analyze Indian history -> use the dimensions:
• Religious life, social life, political life, education aspect, trade, way of life.
• Political aspects, Economic aspects, social aspects, cultural aspects
• Have Temporal approach of different timelines ( Indus Valley, Vedic, Mauryan, Post-Mauryan, Gupta,
South India ( Pallava, Chola, Vijayanagar, Vesara & Chalukya); Medieval India
• Think in dimensions of : Architecture ( Caves, Temples, Sculptures, Stupas); Literature ; Dance, Music,
Pottery ; Philosophy)
• Give contemporary relevance in the conclusion. (eg: Statue of Unity, statue of equality; Kartavya
path)

Major themes of the Questions:

Literature:
1. Evaluate the nature of the Bhakti Literature and its contribution to Indian culture.
2. Persian literary sources of medieval India reflect the spirit of the age. Comment.
3. Assess the importance of the accounts of the Chinese and Arab Travellers in the reconstruction of
the history of India.
4. The Bhakti literature received a remarkable re-orientation with the advent of Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu. Discuss
5. Though not very useful from the point of view of a connected political history of South India, the
Sangam literature portrays the social and economic conditions of its time with remarkable vividness.
Comment.
Learning: Don't just write the examples; give the essence by dividing into dimensions: Social, Religious,
cultural; Economic, Political angles -> this depicts of the society in those times... Give good
introductions telling the GIST/inference && give futuristics & broad conclusions...

Philosophy:
1. Indian Philosophy and tradition played a significant role in conceiving and shaping the monuments
and their art in India. Discuss.
2. Sufis and medieval mystic saints failed to modify either the religious ideas and practices or the
outward structure of Hindu / Muslim societies to any appreciable extent. Comment.
Learning: Think Temporally with different time periods & different dimensions in each time period...
Architecture -
Caves & Temples:
1. The rock-cut architecture represents one of the most important sources of our knowledge of early
Indian art and history. Discuss.
2. Mesolithic rock-cut architecture of India not only reflects the cultural life of the times but also a
fine aesthetic sense comparable to modem painting. Critically evaluate this comment.
3. Chola architecture represents a high watermark in the evolution of temple architecture. Discuss.
Learning: Draw the diagrams depicting the actual things..
Sculptures:
1. Highlight the Central Asian and Greco-Bactrian elements in Gandhara art.
2. Gandhara sculpture owed as much to the Romans as to the Greeks. Explain
3. How will you explain the medieval Indian temple sculptures represent the social life of those days?
Stupa:
1. Early Buddhist Stupa-art, while depicting folk motifs and narratives successfully expounds Buddhist
ideals. Elucidate.
Kingdoms Contribution:
1. Discuss the main contributions of Gupta period and chola period to Indian heritage and culture
2. Pala period is the most significant phase in the history of Buddhism in India. Enumerate
3. How do you justify the view that the level of excellence of the Gupta numismatic art is not at all
noticeable in later times?
4. Krishnadeva Raya, the King of Vijayanagar, was not only an accomplished scholar himself but was
also a great patron of learning and literature. Discuss.
5. To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus Valley Civilization provided inputs to
the present day urbanization? Discuss
6. Taxila university was one of the oldest universities of the world with which were associated with a
number of renowned learned personalities of different disciplines. Its strategic location caused its
fame to flourish, but unlike Nalanda, it is not considered as a university in the modern sense. Discuss
7. Chola architecture represents a high watermark in the evolution of temple architecture. Discuss.

Other Art Forms/ Broader Questions:

1. Discuss the significance of the lion and bull figures in India mythology, art and architecture.
2. Safeguarding the Indian Art Heritage is the need of the moment. Discuss.
3. The ancient civilization in the Indian sub-continent differed from those of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and
Greece in that its culture and traditions have been preserved without a breakdown to the present
day. Comment.
4. Discuss the Tandava dance as recorded in the early Indian inscriptions

2022:
1. How will you explain the medieval Indian temple sculptures represent the social life of those days?
2. Discuss the main contributions of Gupta period and chola period to Indian heritage and culture
3. Discuss the significance of the lion and bull figures in India mythology, art and architecture.
2021:
1. Evaluate the nature of the Bhakti Literature and its contribution to Indian culture.
2020:
1. The rock-cut architecture represents one ofx` the most important sources of our knowledge of
early Indian art and history. Discuss.
2. Pala period is the most significant phase in the history of Buddhism in India. Enumerate.
3. Indian Philosophy and tradition played a significant role in conceiving and shaping the monuments
and their art in India. Discuss.
4. Persian literary sources of medieval India reflect the spirit of the age. Comment.
2019:
 1. Highlight the Central Asian and Greco-Bactrian elements in Gandhara art.
2018:
1. Safeguarding the Indian Art Heritage is the need of the moment. Discuss.
2. Assess the importance of the accounts of the Chinese and Arab Travellers in the reconstruction of
the history of India.
3. The Bhakti literature received a remarkable re-orientation with the advent of Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu. Discuss
2017:
1. How do you justify the view that the level of excellence of the Gupta numismatic art is not at all
noticeable in later times?
2016:
1. Early Buddhist Stupa-art, while depicting folk motifs and narratives successfully expounds Buddhist
ideals. Elucidate.
2. Krishnadeva Raya, the King of Vijayanagar, was not only an accomplished scholar himself but was
also a great patron of learning and literature. Discuss.
2015:
1. The ancient civilization in the Indian sub-continent differed from those of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and
Greece in that its culture and traditions have been preserved without a breakdown to the present
day. Comment.
2. Mesolithic rock-cut architecture of India not only reflects the cultural life of the times but also a
fine aesthetic sense comparable to modem painting. Critically evaluate this comment.
2014:
1. To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus Valley Civilization provided inputs to
the present day urbanization? Discuss
2. Gandhara sculpture owed as much to the Romans as to the Greeks. Explain
3. Taxila university was one of the oldest universities of the world with which were associated with a
number of renowned learned personalities of different disciplines. Its strategic location caused its
fame to flourish, but unlike Nalanda, it is not considered as a university in the modern sense. Discuss
4. Sufis and medieval mystic saints failed to modify either the religious ideas and practices or the
outward structure of Hindu / Muslim societies to any appreciable extent. Comment.
2013:
1. Though not very useful from the point of view of a connected political history of South India, the
Sangam literature portrays the social and economic conditions of its time with remarkable vividness.
Comment.
2. Discuss the Tandava dance as recorded in the early Indian inscriptions
3. Chola architecture represents a high watermark in the evolution of temple architecture. Discuss.