UPSC Art & Culture Books for Prelims & Mains
Despite Art & Culture not being separately outlined in the UPSC Prelims syllabus, its components like architecture, visual art, and literature are often featured in the question paper. Here are some examples of such questions asked in previous years:
Year 2019
Q- In the kingdom of which of the following was the construction of ‘Kalyana Mandapam’ a notable feature in temple architecture?
(a) Chalukya
(b) Chandela
(c) Rashtrakuta
(d) Vijayanagara
Once an aspirant studies about the architecture of the Vijayanagar Empire, he/she will come across the term Kalyana Mandapam.
Year 2018
Q – In which of the following relief sculpture inscriptions is ‘Ranyo Ashoka’ (King Ashoka) mentioned along with the stone portrait of Ashoka?
(a) Kanganahalli
(b) Sanchi
(c) Shahbazgarhi
(d) Sohgaura
When aspirants study about the Mauryan Empire and its architecture, they will come across such inscriptions.
Q – Which of the following statements about Mian Tansen is not correct?
(a) Tansen was the title given to him by Emperor Akbar
(b) Tansen composed Dhrupads on Hindu god and goddesses
(c) Tansen composed songs on his patrons
(d) Tansen invented many Ragas
Though this question may not seem to be directly related to art and culture, it is. When an aspirant studies about Performing Arts and its subtopic of classical music, they will learn about Ragas, Dhrupads and Tansen.
Year 2013
What is the difference between Chaityas and Viharas, the two types of Buddhist rock-cut caves?
- Vihara is a place of worship, while Chaitya is the dwelling place of the monks
- Chaitya is a place of worship, while Vihara is the dwelling place of the monks
- Chaitya is the stupa at the far end of the cave, while Vihara is the hall axial to it
- There is no material difference between the two
This question pertains to Buddhist architecture, a sub-topic of Architecture mentioned in the syllabus of the UPSC Mains.
Year 2012
Q. What does the ‘Bhumisparsha Mudra’ hand gesture of Lord Buddha symbolize?
(a) Buddha’s calling of the Earth to watch over Mara and to prevent Mara from disturbing his meditation
(b) Buddha’s calling of the Earth to witness his purity and chastity despite the temptations of Mara
(c) Buddha’s reminder to his followers that they all arise from the Earth and finally dissolve into the Earth, and thus this life is transitory
(d) Both the statements (a) and (b) are correct in this context
To answer this question, an aspirant needs to read about the art and literature of Buddhism.
To understand the type of questions asked in the Art & Culture section of the Mains, aspirants can check the Art & Culture Questions in UPSC Mains GS 1 page.
In the UPSC Mains, the GS 1 Paper features more questions from Art & Culture. Aspirants can get a detailed trend analysis of subject-wise questions on our UPSC Mains GS 1 strategy, syllabus and structure page.
The table below lists the key Art & Culture books for UPSC:
| Art & Culture Books for IAS Exam |
| S.No |
Art & Culture Books & Other Resources |
| 1. |
NCERT Class 11 – Living Crafts Traditions of India |
| 2. |
NCERT Class 11 – An Introduction to Indian Art Part-I |
| 3. |
NCERT Class 12 – Craft Traditions of India |
| 4. |
Indian Art & Culture By Nitin Singhania |
| 5. |
NIOS Art & Culture Notes |
| 6. |
CCRT Books from the Ministry of Culture |
| 7. |
Friday Review of The Hindu newspaper that covers Art & Culture segment |