General Studies Paper-I of the UPSC Mains Exam has a vast syllabus including that for Indian Heritage and Culture. As per the recent trends, the questions asked from Indian Art and Culture segment have increased. Hence, it is important for candidates to analyse and practice the Art & Culture previous year questions for the IAS Exam.
Candidates can get GS 1 mains questions of other subjects from the links mentioned in the table below:
| History Questions for UPSC Mains GS 1 | Geography Questions for UPSC Mains GS 1 |
| Indian Society Questions for UPSC Mains GS 1 | Topic-Wise GS 1 Questions for UPSC Mains |
Indian Heritage and Culture UPSC Questions (Year-Wise)
The tables below will provide Art & Culture questions for UPSC Mains GS 1 from the year 2013-2021. Candidates can refer to the detailed GS 1 Structure, Syllabus and Strategy in the linked article.
2021
| Art & Culture – Indian Heritage & Culture Questions – UPSC Mains |
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2020
| Art & Culture – Indian Heritage & Culture Questions – UPSC Mains |
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Read about the topics from where questions are inspired from the links below:
2019
| Art & Culture – Indian Heritage & Culture Questions – UPSC Mains |
| 1. Highlight the Central Asian and Greco-Bactrian elements in Gandhara art. |
To practice this question, aspirants can first read about the difference between the Gandhara School of Art and Mathura School of Art in the linked article.
2018
| Art & Culture – Indian Heritage & Culture Questions – UPSC Mains |
| 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 |
To practice above-mentioned Indian Heritage, Art and Culture questions asked in 2016 UPSC Mains, aspirants can check the below-given links:
- Bhakti Movement
- Difference Between Bhakti and Sufi Movements
- Important topics on Indian Heritage and Culture for UPSC
2017
| Art & Culture – Indian Heritage & Culture Questions |
| 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? |
| 2. Examine how the decline of the traditional artisanal industry in colonial India crippled the rural economy. |
To practice above-mentioned Indian Heritage, Art and Culture questions asked in 2017 UPSC Mains, aspirants can check the below-given links:
2016
| Art & Culture – Indian Heritage & Culture Questions – UPSC Mains |
| 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. |
Candidates can take help from the article Vijayanagara Empire where they can form the basic understanding of the empire and then with reference books, can complement their answer.
2015
| Art & Culture – Indian Heritage & Culture Questions – UPSC Mains |
| 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. |
Candidates can first read about Indus Valley Civilization in the linked article and then compare the features of it with the present-day Indian features.
To understand Mesolithic age, aspirants should first read about the basics of the Prehistoric Age of India, and then with the help of reference books, complement their answer.
2014
| Art & Culture – Indian Heritage & Culture Questions – UPSC Mains |
| 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. |
Read about Sufism related articles in the linked pages below:
2013
| Art & Culture – Indian Heritage & Culture Questions – UPSC Mains |
| 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. |
To practice above-mentioned questions, candidates can get a basic understanding of the topics from the below-mentioned links:
Additionally, candidates can check the Art and Culture Notes and Previous Years’ UPSC Prelims Art & Culture Questions from the linked articles below:
UPSC Mains GS 1 Art & Culture Questions (2013-2021):- Download PDF Here
Candidates can get other General Studies related questions’ articles from below:
| Topic-Wise GS 2 Questions for UPSC Mains |
| Topic-Wise GS 3 Questions for UPSC Mains |
| Topic-Wise GS 4 Questions for UPSC Mains |
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Thanks for the acknowledgement.
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