Indian Art & Culture: Notes for UPSC, SSC & Railway Exams
Classical dances and their states, Hindustani and Carnatic music, folk paintings, theatre forms, temple architecture styles and classic books with authors.
60-second revision
Sangeet Natak Akademi lists 8 classical dances; Sattriya (Assam) was added in 2000.
Kerala has two classical dances: Kathakali and Mohiniyattam.
Natya Shastra, the oldest text on drama, dance and music, is ascribed to Bharata Muni.
Carnatic trinity: Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Syama Sastri; Purandara Dasa is the father of Carnatic music.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi recognises eight classical dance forms (the Ministry of Culture's list also includes Chhau, making nine). All trace their grammar to the Natya Shastra of Bharata Muni, which describes rasa (the emotion the audience tastes), bhava (expression) and mudras (hand gestures). Questions usually pair a dance with its state or a defining feature.
Dance
State
Distinctive features
Bharatanatyam
Tamil Nadu
Grew from temple dance; precise geometry; solo
Kathak
Uttar Pradesh / north India
Storytelling; fast footwork and spins (chakkars); shaped in Hindu and Mughal courts
Kathakali
Kerala
Dance-drama; heavy make-up and costumes; themes from the epics
Mohiniyattam
Kerala
Graceful, swaying solo dance; white and gold costume
Kuchipudi
Andhra Pradesh
Named after a village; dancing on the rim of a brass plate (Tarangam)
Odissi
Odisha
Tribhanga posture; songs of the Gita Govinda
Manipuri
Manipur
Gentle movements; Ras Lila of Radha and Krishna
Sattriya
Assam
From the sattras of Sankaradeva's tradition; recognised in 2000
Music
Indian classical music has two traditions. Hindustani music (north) developed with Persian influence in the courts — Tansen sang at Akbar's court, and Amir Khusrau is linked with qawwali. Forms include dhrupad, khayal and thumri. Carnatic music (south) is centred on composed songs (kritis). Purandara Dasa is called its father, and its trinity is Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri. Both systems use raga (melodic frame) and tala (rhythmic cycle).
Painting
Art form
State
Remember
Ajanta murals
Maharashtra
Buddhist themes; Jataka stories
Madhubani (Mithila)
Bihar
Bright colours; traditionally painted by women on walls
Warli
Maharashtra
White geometric figures on mud background
Pattachitra
Odisha (also West Bengal)
Painted cloth scrolls; Jagannath themes
Kalamkari
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
"Pen work" on cotton; natural dyes
Gond
Madhya Pradesh
Dots and lines; animals and nature
Pithora
Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh
Ritual wall paintings of the Rathwa and Bhil
Tanjore
Tamil Nadu
Gold foil and gem work; devotional
Pahari (Kangra, Basohli)
Himachal Pradesh and Jammu
Miniatures; Radha-Krishna themes
Theatre and martial arts
Form
Region
Yakshagana
Karnataka
Jatra
West Bengal and Odisha
Tamasha
Maharashtra
Nautanki
Uttar Pradesh
Bhavai
Gujarat
Koodiyattam (Sanskrit theatre)
Kerala
Kalaripayattu (martial art)
Kerala
Silambam (martial art)
Tamil Nadu
Thang-ta (martial art)
Manipur
Gatka (martial art)
Punjab
Buddhist architecture terms
Stupa — a solid hemispherical mound (anda) over relics, with a railing (vedika), umbrella (chhatra) and gateways (toranas), as at Sanchi and Bharhut.
Chaitya — a prayer hall with a stupa at one end, often rock-cut, as at Karla and Bhaja in Maharashtra.
Vihara — a monastery with cells for monks around a courtyard; Ajanta has both chaityas and viharas.
Temple architecture styles
Style
Region
Features
Examples
Nagara
North India
Curvilinear shikhara topped by an amalaka; no large boundary walls
Khajuraho, Konark, Lingaraja (Bhubaneswar)
Dravida
South India
Pyramidal vimana; high walls with gopurams; water tanks
