Studying Indian Culture and Heritage for the UPSC Civil Services Exam is a tough task for most aspirants. Even though questions related to Art, Culture, Literature, and Architecture are certain to come in both UPSC Prelims and IAS Mains, the lack of concise study material is a challenge.
There are of course reputed study material sources like the NCERT books, Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) material, NIOS material and Nitin Singhania’s Indian Art and Culture. However, if you are pressed for time, check the important NCERT notes below on Art and Culture for UPSC IAS exam.
NCERT Notes on Art, Culture, Literature and Architecture – UPSC
UPSC Books List PDF:
- Prehistoric Rock Paintings
- Arts of the Indus Valley
- Arts of the Mauryan Period
- Lion Capital & Sanchi Stupa
- Post-Mauryan Trends in Indian Art and Architecture – Part I
- Post-Mauryan Trends in Indian Art and Architecture – Part II
- Post-Mauryan Trends in Indian Art and Architecture – Part III
- Later Mural Traditions
- Temple Architecture and Sculpture – Part I
- Temple Architecture and Sculpture – Part II
- Temple Architecture and Sculpture – Part III
- Temple Architecture and Sculpture – Part IV
- Indian Bronze Sculpture
- Some Aspects of Indo-Islamic Architecture – Part I
- Some Aspects of Indo-Islamic Architecture – Part II
- Difference between Gandhara and Mathura School of art
- Mahabalipuram: An Architectural Extravaganza
- History of Zoroastrianism – Religion in India
- Yoga
- Warli Painting
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages in India
- Styles Of Bharata Natyam
- Bharatanatyam
- Sufism in India
- Sufism
- Types of Vedas
- Sufi Saints
- Thangka Paintings
- Tribal Paintings of India
- Jain Tirthankaras
- Pithora Painting
- Pahari Paintings
- Odissi Dance
- Mohiniyattam
- Miniature Painting for UPSC Exam
- Major Literary Works & Authors in Gupta Period
- Differences between Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam
- Kathakali
- Katkari Tribe in India
- Indian Classical Dances
- Difference between Buddhism and Hinduism
- Bharatanatyam
- Kathak
- Yakshagana
Find the NCERT notes on the above important topics and check our complete collection of NCERT notes for UPSC.
If you are wondering how to study Art and Culture for UPSC, then have a look at the linked article for a preparation strategy.
Art and Culture UPSC-related queries
- Is Art and Culture a part of UPSC Prelims exam?
- Yes, even though ‘Art and Culture’ isn’t directly mentioned in the UPSC Syllabus, questions related to art, architecture, literature and culture in Ancient, Medieval and Modern India are asked. For complete information on IAS Prelims with free study material, check the linked article.
- Are NCERT books enough for IAS preparation?
- NCERT books are an important starting point for UPSC preparation and almost all IAS toppers vouch for them. If you want to download NCERT books free of cost, check this link.
- Which are some important topics for Art and Culture portion in UPSC exam?
- Important topics from Art and Culture for UPSC are:
- Indian Philosophy – different schools of thought
- Temple architecture and different styles
- Indo-Islamic architecture
- Mathura, Gandhara school of art
- Buddhist art, architecture and literature
- Indus valley civilisation
- Dances and art forms in Indian states
- Paintings (murals, miniatures etc.)
- Hindustani and Carnatic music
- Foreign travellers
- What kind of questions on Art and Culture are asked in UPSC Prelims and Mains?
- Questions in UPSC Prelims are of MCQ type while the IAS Mains is essay-descriptive type papers. Also, the questions cover a bewildering array of topics and subtopics. Take a look at the UPSC previous year question papers to get an idea.
- Where can I find more notes or free IAS study material?
- free IAS preparation, you can find all UPSC-related information in one place. Apart from the NCERT notes,
Art and Culture is a scoring portion of the UPSC IAS exam. However, aspirants should make a preparation strategy as the topics that can be asked in the exam are wide-ranging and there are many sources.
UPSC Preparation
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