Art & Culture · UPSC Notes
Literature and Heritage — UPSC Art & Culture Notes
Free, exam-focused notes for UPSC Prelims and Mains, with Prelims tips and Mains points for every topic. 2 topics.
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Indian Literature across Periods and Its Link with Architecture
Indian literature spans Vedic and classical Sanskrit, Sangam Tamil, Pali and Prakrit Buddhist-Jain texts, medieval Bhakti and Sufi poetry in regional languages, Persian and Urdu court literature, and modern literature from Tagore to Dalit writing. Literature and architecture together reveal continuity and change: inscriptions (prashastis), architectural treatises (Vastu, Manasara) and texts describing cities and temples.
1. Ancient Literature
Vedic: Four Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads.
Epics and Puranas: Ramayana, Mahabharata (Bhagavad Gita).
Classical Sanskrit: Kalidasa (Abhijnanashakuntalam, Meghaduta), Bhasa, Banabhatta (Harshacharita), Kalhana (Rajatarangini—historical chronicle of Kashmir).
Sangam literature (Tamil): Ettuthokai and Pattuppattu anthologies; Tirukkural; epics Silappadikaram and Manimekalai.
Buddhist and Jain: Tripitaka and Jatakas (Pali), Jain Agamas (Prakrit).
2. Medieval Literature
Bhakti: Alvars and Nayanars (Tamil), Basavanna (Kannada vachanas), Kabir, Tulsidas (Ramcharitmanas), Surdas, Mirabai, Tukaram (Marathi abhangas), Sankaradeva (Assamese).
Persian: Amir Khusrau, Abul Fazl (Akbarnama, Ain-i-Akbari), Babur's memoir (Baburnama in Turkish).
Urdu: Wali Dakhni, Mir, Ghalib.
3. Modern Literature
Rabindranath Tagore (Gitanjali, Nobel Prize 1913), Bankim Chandra (Anandamath, Vande Mataram), Premchand, Subramania Bharati, Sarojini Naidu, Dalit literature (Marathi), regional novels; literature as a force for social reform and nationalism.
4. Literature and Architecture Together
Inscriptions: Allahabad pillar prashasti of Samudragupta (by Harisena), Aihole inscription of Pulakeshin II (by Ravikirti), Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela.
Architectural texts: Vastu Shastra, Manasara, Mayamata, Samarangana Sutradhara (attributed to Raja Bhoja).
Descriptions: Silappadikaram describes the city of Puhar; travellers (Hiuen Tsang, Ibn Battuta, Abdur Razzaq on Vijayanagara) describe monuments.
Calligraphy on monuments: Quranic inscriptions on the Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar.
5. Continuity and Change
Themes and forms continued (epics retold in regional languages, temple styles evolving) while new influences (Persian, colonial) were absorbed—showing a living, syncretic tradition.
| Inscription | Ruler | Composer/feature |
|---|---|---|
| Allahabad (Prayag) pillar prashasti | Samudragupta | Harisena |
| Aihole inscription | Pulakeshin II | Ravikirti |
| Hathigumpha inscription | Kharavela | Jain king of Kalinga |
| Junagadh inscription | Rudradaman I | Early long Sanskrit inscription |
Prelims tips
- Kalhana's Rajatarangini is a 12th-century history of Kashmir.
- Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for Gitanjali.
- Harisena composed the Allahabad pillar prashasti.
- Silappadikaram and Manimekalai are Tamil epics.
- Samarangana Sutradhara is an architectural treatise attributed to Raja Bhoja.
Mains points
- Literature and architecture are complementary sources: texts explain the ideas behind monuments, and monuments make texts tangible.
- The shift from Sanskrit to regional languages in the Bhakti era democratised religion and literature.
- Persian and Urdu literature reflect cultural synthesis under the Sultanate and Mughals.
- Modern literature fuelled social reform and nationalism, showing literature's role in social change.
Did you know?
- Tagore wrote the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh.
- The Tirukkural has been translated into many world languages.
- Ain-i-Akbari includes detailed descriptions of Akbar's administration and buildings.
Schools of Indian Philosophy and Religions of India
Indian philosophy is traditionally divided into orthodox (astika) schools that accept the authority of the Vedas—the six darshanas: Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta—and heterodox (nastika) schools that reject it: Charvaka, Buddhism, Jainism and Ajivika. India is also home to all major world religions, making it a land of remarkable religious pluralism.
1. Orthodox (Astika) Schools
Samkhya (Kapila): Dualism of purusha (consciousness) and prakriti (matter); oldest school.
Yoga (Patanjali, Yoga Sutras): Ashtanga yoga—eight limbs leading to liberation.
Nyaya (Gautama): Logic and epistemology; valid means of knowledge (pramanas).
Vaisheshika (Kanada): Atomism—the universe made of atoms (anu).
Mimamsa (Jaimini): Interpretation of Vedic rituals and dharma.
Vedanta (Badarayana, Brahma Sutras): Nature of Brahman; sub-schools—Advaita (Shankaracharya, non-dualism), Vishishtadvaita (Ramanuja, qualified non-dualism), Dvaita (Madhvacharya, dualism).
2. Heterodox (Nastika) Schools
Charvaka / Lokayata (attributed to Brihaspati): Materialism; only perception is valid knowledge.
Buddhism: Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, anatta (no-self).
Jainism: Ahimsa, anekantavada, syadvada, triratna.
Ajivika (Makkhali Gosala): Determinism (niyati).
3. Vedic Texts and Upavedas
Upavedas: Ayurveda (medicine, linked to the Rigveda or Atharvaveda), Dhanurveda (archery/warfare, Yajurveda), Gandharvaveda (music and dance, Samaveda), Shilpaveda/Sthapatyaveda (architecture, Atharvaveda).
4. Religions of India
Hinduism, Islam (arrived through Arab traders on the west coast and later with the Sultanate), Christianity (tradition of St Thomas in Kerala), Sikhism (Guru Nanak, 15th century; Guru Granth Sahib), Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism (Parsis, arrived in Gujarat around the 8th–10th centuries), Judaism (Cochin Jews, Bene Israel, Baghdadi Jews), and tribal faiths (Sarna, Donyi-Polo).
5. Significance
Rich traditions of debate (shastrartha), tolerance and syncretism (Bhakti, Sufi) shape India's composite culture and constitutional secularism.
| School | Founder/text | Core idea |
|---|---|---|
| Samkhya | Kapila | Dualism of purusha and prakriti |
| Yoga | Patanjali | Eight limbs of discipline |
| Nyaya | Gautama | Logic, valid knowledge |
| Vaisheshika | Kanada | Atomism |
| Mimamsa | Jaimini | Vedic ritual and dharma |
| Vedanta | Badarayana | Brahman; Advaita, Vishishtadvaita, Dvaita |
Prelims tips
- Vaisheshika (Kanada) propounded atomism.
- Advaita Vedanta was propounded by Shankaracharya; Vishishtadvaita by Ramanuja; Dvaita by Madhvacharya.
- Charvaka is a materialist heterodox school.
- Ajivika was founded by Makkhali Gosala.
- Gandharvaveda (music) is the Upaveda of the Samaveda.
Mains points
- Indian philosophy combines spiritual inquiry with logic, science (atomism) and ethics.
- The coexistence and debate of orthodox and heterodox schools reflect intellectual pluralism.
- Religious diversity, absorbed over millennia, underpins India's composite culture and secularism.
- Philosophical ideas like ahimsa, anekantavada and Advaita continue to influence ethics and public life.
Did you know?
- Shankaracharya is traditionally credited with establishing four mathas in the four corners of India.
- The Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi (1568) is among the oldest active synagogues in the Commonwealth.
- The Parsi New Year, Navroz, is a public holiday in some Indian states.
Art & Culture: All chapters
- Indian Painting
- Performing Arts
- Architecture and Sculpture
- Literature and Heritage