UPSC Civil Services Examination Indian and World History, and Art and Culture Syllabus

Indian and World History, and Art and Culture syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Indian and World History, and Art and Culture in UPSC Civil Services Examination, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Ancient India

   4 topics

   • Prehistory and Indus Valley Civilisation
     • Town planning, trade and decline
     • Harappan religion and script
   • Vedic Age and Mahajanapadas
     • Early and Later Vedic society
     • Rise of the sixteen Mahajanapadas
   • Religious Movements and Mauryan Empire
     • Buddhism and Jainism
     • Chandragupta, Ashoka and Arthashastra
   • Post-Mauryan and Gupta Period
     • Sungas, Satavahanas and Kushanas
     • Gupta golden age and post-Gupta states
2. 2

   Medieval India

   4 topics

   • Early Medieval and Regional Kingdoms
     • Cholas, Rashtrakutas and Pratiharas
     • Tripartite struggle
   • Delhi Sultanate
     • Five dynasties and administration
     • Iqta and revenue systems
   • Vijayanagara and Bahmani Kingdoms
   • The Mughal Empire
     • Babur to Aurangzeb
     • Mansabdari and Zabt systems
     • Bhakti and Sufi movements
3. 3

   Modern India and the Freedom Struggle

   4 topics

   • Advent of Europeans and British Expansion
     • Battles of Plassey and Buxar
     • Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse
   • Revolt of 1857 and its Aftermath
   • Socio-Religious Reform Movements
   • Indian National Movement
     • Formation and phases of the INC
     • Gandhian mass movements
     • Revolutionary nationalism
     • Partition and Independence
4. 4

   Post-Independence India

   3 topics

   • Integration of Princely States
   • Linguistic Reorganisation of States
   • Major Economic and Political Developments to 1990s
5. 5

   World History

   4 topics

   • Industrial Revolution and Colonialism
   • American and French Revolutions
   • World Wars and the Inter-War Period
     • Causes and consequences of the two World Wars
     • Rise of fascism and Nazism
   • Decolonisation and Cold War
6. 6

   Indian Art and Culture

   4 topics

   • Architecture and Sculpture
     • Temple styles: Nagara, Dravida, Vesara
     • Indo-Islamic and Buddhist architecture
   • Performing Arts
     • Classical dance and music traditions
     • Theatre and puppetry forms
   • Painting, Crafts and Literature
   • Festivals, Languages and UNESCO Heritage

Indian and World History, and Art and Culture flashcards for UPSC Civil Services Examination

19 of 51 cards from the Indian and World History, and Art and Culture deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the three major sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation and the rivers they are associated with?

   Harappa (Ravi river), Mohenjo-daro (Indus river), and Lothal (Bhogavo, a tributary of the Sabarmati). Lothal had a notable dockyard.

2. Name the four stages/periods of Indian prehistory based on stone tools and their key characteristic.

   Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age - hunting/gathering, crude tools), Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age - microliths, beginning of domestication), Neolithic (New Stone Age - agriculture, polished tools, pottery), and Chalcolithic (Copper-Stone Age - first metal use).

3. What was the urban planning hallmark of the Harappan Civilisation?

   A grid-pattern layout with streets at right angles, a fortified citadel and lower town, standardised baked bricks, and an advanced covered drainage system. Mohenjo-daro had the Great Bath.

4. List the four Vedas and the broad subject each deals with.

   Rigveda (hymns of praise), Samaveda (melodies/chants), Yajurveda (sacrificial formulae/rituals), and Atharvaveda (spells, charms, everyday life). The Rigveda is the oldest.

5. What is the difference between the Early (Rigvedic) and Later Vedic periods in social structure?

   The Early Vedic period was pastoral, tribal, and semi-nomadic with a relatively flexible varna system. The Later Vedic period became agricultural and territorial, with a rigid four-fold varna hierarchy and the rise of kingdoms.

6. What were the Mahajanapadas, and which one eventually became dominant?

   The Mahajanapadas were sixteen large kingdoms/republics of the 6th century BCE. Magadha became the most powerful, rising under the Haryanka, Shishunaga, and Nanda dynasties.

7. Who founded Jainism and Buddhism, and what is the central ethical principle each emphasises?

   Jainism's tradition culminated in Mahavira (24th Tirthankara); it emphasises ahimsa (non-violence) and asceticism. Buddhism was founded by Gautama Buddha; it emphasises the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path (Middle Path).

8. What are the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism?

   (1) There is suffering (dukkha); (2) Suffering has a cause (desire/craving); (3) Suffering can be ended; (4) The path to ending suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.

9. Who founded the Mauryan Empire and with whose guidance?

   Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire around 321 BCE, guided by his minister Chanakya (Kautilya/Vishnugupta), author of the Arthashastra.

10. What changed Ashoka's policy after the Kalinga War, and how did he propagate his message?

    After the bloodshed of the Kalinga War (c. 261 BCE) Ashoka embraced Buddhism and the policy of Dhamma (moral conduct, non-violence, tolerance). He propagated it through rock and pillar edicts written mainly in Prakrit and Brahmi script.

11. Which post-Mauryan dynasty issued the first gold coins in large numbers and is famous for the Gandhara and Mathura art schools?

    The Kushanas, especially under Kanishka, issued extensive gold coinage and patronised both the Gandhara (Greco-Buddhist) and Mathura schools of art. Kanishka convened the Fourth Buddhist Council.

12. Why is the Gupta period called the 'Golden Age' of ancient India?

    Because of major achievements in mathematics (Aryabhata, concept of zero/decimal), astronomy, Sanskrit literature (Kalidasa), classical art and Nagara temple architecture, and a flourishing economy under rulers like Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya).

13. Contrast the Gandhara and Mathura schools of sculpture.

    Gandhara school showed Greco-Roman influence, used grey schist, and depicted Buddha with wavy hair and realistic drapery. Mathura school was indigenous, used red sandstone, and depicted a more spiritual, energetic Buddha.

14. Which two south Indian dynasties were known for the Cholas' naval power and the Pallavas' rock-cut architecture respectively?

    The Cholas (e.g., Rajendra Chola) built a strong navy and conducted overseas expeditions to Southeast Asia. The Pallavas pioneered Dravidian rock-cut temples and structural temples at Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram).

15. What was the tripartite struggle of the early medieval period, and which kingdoms were involved?

    It was the contest for control of Kannauj (and the Gangetic plains) among the Gurjara-Pratiharas, the Palas of Bengal, and the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan, roughly 8th-10th centuries CE.

16. Name the five dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate in chronological order.

    Slave/Mamluk dynasty, Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, Sayyid dynasty, and Lodi dynasty (1206-1526).

17. Who was the first woman ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, and which ruler is famous for failed administrative experiments?

    Razia Sultan (Razia-ud-din) was the first and only woman ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Muhammad bin Tughlaq is known for failed experiments like shifting the capital to Daulatabad and introducing token (copper) currency.

18. What were the iqta and the market reforms of Alauddin Khalji?

    The iqta was a revenue assignment given to officials in lieu of salary. Alauddin Khalji introduced strict price-control/market reforms in Delhi, fixing prices of essential goods to maintain a large standing army.

19. When was the Vijayanagara Empire founded, by whom, and which was its most famous dynasty?

    Vijayanagara was founded in 1336 by Harihara and Bukka (Sangama brothers). Its most celebrated ruler was Krishnadevaraya of the Tuluva dynasty; the capital was Hampi.

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