eKuhipath ADRE Course

Indian Art & Culture

Combined Marathon Class
Class 5:
Indian Art and Architecture Part 1 (Major historical monuments)
Class 6:
Indian Art and Architecture Part 2 (Major School of arts, temple architecture
types, Indian classical music, Indian classical dance)
Class 7:
Indian Literature (Vedas, Example of Buddhist, Jain, Gupta, Delhi Sultanate &
Mughal literature; foreigner's accounts)
 Harappan Art and Architecture:
Important archaeological findings:
1) Harappa: Mother goddess sculpture, granaries, stone symbol of lingam
and yoni.
2) Mohenjo-daro: the great bath, the bearded man sculpture, famous bronze
statue of the Dancing Girl and Pashupati Seal
3) Dholavira: Giant water reservoir. It is the latest IVC city to be discovered
4) Lothal: known as 'Manchester of IVC'. Findings: Dockyard
5) Rakhigarhi: Largest site of IVC
6) Ropar: First Harappan site of independent India
7) Surkotada: First actual remains of horse bones
8) Chanhudaro: Only Indus city without a citadel
9) Daimabad: Southern most site of IVC, located in Maharashtra. Bronze
Chariot sculpture was discovered here.
 Harappan Architecture:
• Remarkable town planning with layout in rectangular greed
pattern.
• Burnt mud bricks were used.
• City was divided into two parts: upraised citadel and lower
city.
• Another striking feature: Advanced drainage system.
• Wide scale practice of Bronze casting, known as Lost Wax
Technique or Cire Perdue. E.g. The Dancing Girl is world's
oldest bronze sculpture.
• Terracotta sculptures also found mostly in Gujarat and
Kalibangan.E.g. Mother Goddess.
 Mauryan Art and Architecture:
• Famous Palaces: Capital at Pataliputra and royal palace at
Kumrahar. Magasthanese described the palace as one of
the greatest creation of mankind.
• Pillars: Most of them constructed during the reign of
Ashoka. Most famous example: Sarnath Pillar near
Varanasi.
• Stupas: Most famous Ashokan stupa is Sanchi Stupa in
Madhya Pradesh.
• Caves: Barabar and Nagarjuni caves in Bihar.
• Sculptures: Yaksha and Yakshi
 • Major Schools of sculpture:
Gandhara, Mathura and Amaravati

Source:
 • Major Schools of sculpture:
Gandhara, Mathura, Amaravati

Source:
 Gupta Age: Golden Age of India:
• Temple architecture as well as Buddhist and Jain art reached its
peak during this era.
Architecture:
• Caves:
Unique feature: Mural paintings on the walls of the caves.
Examples:
A) Ajanta:
 Located in the Sahyadri ranges near Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
 Total: 29 caves: 25 Viharas, 4 Chaityas.
 Figures on the walls were made using Fresco painting technique.
 Striking feature: Absence of blue colour.
 Theme: life of Buddha and Jataka tales.
 Gupta Age: Golden Age of India:
B) Ellora:
 Located near Ajanta caves at a distance of 100 KMs.
 Total: 34 caves: Brahmanical: 17 (13-29), Buddhist: 12 (1-
12), Jain (Digambara): 5 (30-34).
 Hindu and Buddhist caves were constructed mainly by
Rashtrakuta dynasty, Jain caves by Yadava dynasty.
 Most important cave: 16: Kailasha Temple.

C) Bagh Caves:
 Located at Madhya Pradesh.
 Total: 9 Buddhist caves.
 Temple architecture styles:
Most famous temple architecture styles are as follows:
A) Nagara school:
Developed from 5th Century onwards in Northern India.
Three sub-schools:
(a) Odisha School: e.g. Konark Sun temple (Black
Pagoda), Puri Jagannath Temple, Lingaraj Temple of Bhubaneswar.
(b) Khajuraho School: Also known as Chandela school.
e.g. Vishvanath Temple Khajuraho, Erotic Sculptures of Khajuraho
(c) Solanki School: Mainly developed in Gujarat and
Rajasthan under patronage of Solanki rulers. e.g. Modhera Sun
Temple.
 Temple architecture styles:
B) Dravida Style (Chola Architecture):
Under patronage of Chola rulers, hundreds of temples
were built in South India, in continuation to similar efforts of
Pallavas.
E.g. Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur (Rajaraja I)
C) Vesera School:
Also known as Karnataka School, it was conceptualised in
mid-7th century AD.
It combines features of both Nagara and Dravidian school.
Prominent dynasties:
Chalukyas: Temples at Badami
Rashtrakutas: Kailasha Temple in Ellora.
 Another famous Chola sculpture:
Nataraja in the Tandava dance posture.

Source:
 Famous Ancient Universities:
A) Vikramshila: located at present day Bihar, established by
Dharmapala of Pala dynasty.
B) Nalanda: Considered by historians to be the world's very first
residential university, it was located at Rajgir near Pataliputra and was built by
Kumaragupta I.
Famous scholars: Nagarjuna (Madhyamika Sunyavad), Aryabhatta.
Hiuan Tsang (2 years) and I-Tsing (10 years) spent times at Nalanda.
It was severely destroyed by the Islamic fanatic Bakhtiyar Khilji.
C) Takshashila: located at modern-day Pakistan, estimated to exist
around 5th Century BC.
Famous scholars: Chanakya, Charak, Panini, Jivaka, Prasenjit etc.
D) Odantapuri: Located at Bihar and made under royal patronage of
Pala dynasty king Gopala I. It was also destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khilji.
 Notable temple outside India:

A) Angkor Wat, Cambodia: World's largest

Hindu Temple.

B) Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu:

Dedicated to Lord Pashupatinath or Shiva.
 Architecture in Medieval India:
Fusion of Persian style with Indian style, known as Indo-Islamic
architecture.
Delhi Sultanate:
A) Slave dynasty: e.g: Qutub Minar: It's a five-storey structure.
Initiated by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, completed by Iltutmish.
B) Khilji dynasty: Alai Darwaja & Siri fort (Ala-ud-din Khilji).
C) Tughlaq dynasty: Cities of Tughlaqabaad, Jahanpanah and
Ferozabad.
D) Lodi dynasty: Only tombs were commissioned and introduction
of double domes took place during this era. E.g. Lodi gardens, the
city of Agra was established by Sikandar Lodi.
 Mughal architecture:
Babur:
Mosques in Panipat and Rohilkhand (1526).
Humayun:
City of Dinpanah, on the banks of Yamuna river.
Sher Shah:
Rohtas Fort (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site in
Pakistan), Sher Shah Suri Masjid in Patna, the Qila-i-Quhuna
mosque inside the Purana Qila complex in Delhi, Sadak-e-Azam
(Grand Trunk Road), Sher Shah Suri's Tomb at Sasaram (his
birthplace).
 Mughal Architecture:
Akbar: Golden age of Mughal Architecture began during his reign.
Agra fort: First construction started during the reign of Akbar. Most of
the inside structures built by Shah Jahan, e.g. Moti Masjid, Diwan-i-aam,
Diwan-i-khas etc.
Fatehpur Sikri: New capital city of Akbar. Important buildings inside
the city:
A) Bulanda Darwaja: Built in 1576 AD to commemorate Akbar's
victory over Gujarat. Considered as world's highest gateway.
B) Ibadat Khana: Akbar used to meet leaders of different religions
here.
C) Jodha Bai's Palace
Humayun's Tomb: Located in Delhi, it was commissioned by
Humayun's chief consort, Empress Hamida Banu Begum under patronage of
her son Akbar.
 Mughal Architecture:
Jahangir:
Architecture took a back seat and paintings and other art
forms got more preference during his reign.
Akbar's Tomb: located at Sikandra near Agra.
Shalimar Bagh: Kashmir,
Moti Masjid: Lahore.
Tomb of Jahangir: Located at Lahore and constructed
by Shah Jahan.
 Mughal Architecture:
Shah Jahan: Mughal architecture reached its climax. Major
works:
Taj Mahal (Constructed in memory of Mumtaz Mahal
aka Arjumand Banu Begum), Red Fort (Delhi), Jama Masjid
(Delhi), Shalimar Bagh (Lahore), city of Shahjahanabad,
Peacock Throne (later looted by Nader Shah, by
defeating Mughals at battle of Karnal, 1739)
Aurangzeb:
Bibi-ka-Maqbara: located in Aurangabad (Maharashtra),
this poor imitation of Taj Mahal was commissioned
in memory of his wife Begum Rabia-ud-Daurani.
 Mughal Architecture:

 Moti Masjid (Red Fort, Delhi): Aurangzeb

 Moti Masjid (Agra Fort): Shah Jahan

 Moti Masjid (Lahore Fort): Jahangir

 Modern Indian Architecture:
A)Indo-Gothic style:
Also known as Victorian style, it's a unique blend
of Indian, Persian and Gothic styles.
Examples: Victoria Memorial (Kolkata), Gateway
of India (Mumbai), Taj Hotel (Mumbai) etc.
B) Neo-Roman Style:
Post-1911, this style emerged.
Finest example: Architecture of New Delhi, done
by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker.
 Paintings:
# Pre-Historic Painting:
Bhimbetka rock paintings: Located in South of Bhupal in
Vindhya ranges of Madhya Pradesh. It has more than 500 rock
paintings and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Mural Paintings: Can be seen in places like Ajanta, Bagh
Caves, Ellora Kailash Temple, Badami Cave temples etc.
# Mughal Paintings:
Babur: He patronized Persian artist Bihzad.
Humayun: He patronized painters like Abdus Samad and Mir
Sayyid Ali (both created Tutinama during Akbar's reign).
Akbar: He established an entire department devoted to
paintings and made a formal artistic studio called Tasvir Khana.
 Paintings:
# Mughal Paintings:
Jahangir:
During Jahangir's reign, Mughal paintings reached its
zenith. He preferred natural elements like flora and fauna over
illustrated manuscripts. Most famous artist: Ustad Mansoor.
Shah Jahan:
He was inspired by European influence and like
creating artificial elements. He encouraged use of pencil and
charcoal.
Aurangzeb: His reign saw a rapid decline of Mughal
painting.
 Paintings:
Raja Ravi Verma:
He known as 'Father of Modern Indian Art'.
Famous paintings include Shakuntala, Damayanti and paintings
from Ramayana.
Bengal school of Art:
It originated with the works of Abanindranath Tagore.
Famous works: Bharat Mata, Arabian Night Series.
Nandalal Bose: Associated with Santi Niketan, known mostly for
the task of illuminating the original document of Constitution of
India, also known for his iconic white on black Gandhi sketch from
the Dandi March.
 Paintings:
Folk Paintings:
A) Madhubani Paintings: Also called Mithila Paintings, done by
village women around Madhubani, Bihar.
B) Pattachitra Paintings: Traditions painting of Odisha, themes
inspired from Jagannath and Vaishnava cult.
C) Kalamkari Paintings: Main centres are Srikalahasti and
Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh State.
D) Warli Paintings: Warlis, indigenous people from Gujarat-
Maharashtra border, practiced this art that goes back to 2500-3000 BC.
E) Paitkar Paintings: Practiced by tribal people of Jharkhand, it is one
of the ancient art forms of India.
F) Phad Painting: Predominantly found in Rajasthan, painted on a long
piece of cloth known as Phad.
 Indian Music:
# First elaborated work on Indian Musicology was
Bharat Muni's Natyashastra, compiled between 200
BC and 200 AD.
# Indian Music: Can be sub-categorised mainly to:
Classical Music and Folk Music.
# Classical Music: Over time, two distinct school of
Indian classical music evolved:
A) Hindustani Music: Northern parts of India.
B) Carnatic Music: Southern parts of India.
 Indian Music:
# Hindustani: 10 Major styles followed here, two
most important being given below:
1) Dhrupada: Tansen, one of the Navaratnas in
the court of Akbar, was a master of Dhrupad style.
2) Khayal: Origin of this style is attributed to
Amir Khusrau. Major proponents:Bharat Ratna
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi (Kirana Gharana), Bade
Ghulam Ali Khan Sahab (Patiala Gharana) etc.
Source:
 Folk Music:
A) Baul: Mostly Bengal region, represents mysticism.
B) Pandavani: Based on epic Mahabharata and Bhima as hero,
mostly popular in Chattisgarh and it's neighbouring states.
C) Panihari: From Rajasthan, thematically related to water.
D) Lavani: Popular dance and music forms of Maharashtra.
E) Dandiya: Traditional dance and music from Gujarat.
F) Khongjom Parba: from Manipur, basically it's a musical
narration of battle of Khongjom (1891)
G) Mando: Popular in Goa.
H) Lai Haraoba Ishei: Sung by Meitei people (Manipur) during Lai
Haraoba festival
 Musical Instruments:
Types:
A) Avanaddha Vadya: Percussion instruments, e.g. Tabla,
Drum, Dhol, Mridangam etc.
B) Sushira Vadya: Wind instruments, e.g. Shehnai (Shehnai
king: Ustad Bismillah Khan), flute (Pandit Hariprasad
Chaurasia) etc.
C) Ghana Vadya: Idiophone instruments, e.g. Ghatam,
Khartal, Ghungroo etc.
D) Tata Vadya: String instruments, e.g. Sarangi, Sitar, Veena
etc.
 Indian Dance:
Classical:
Presently, as per Sangeet Natak Akademi, there exists Eight classical
dances:
1) Bharatnatyam: state: Tamil Nadu, oldest classical dance.
Famous proponents: E Krishna Iyer (revived this dance form),
Rukmini Devi Arundale etc.
2) Kuchipudi: State: Andhra Pradesh, central theme: Stories of
Bhagavat Purana.
3) Kathakali: State: Kerala, narrates episodes from Ramayana
and Mahabharata.
4) Mohiniattam: State: Kerala, it generally narrates the story
of feminine dance of Vishnu.
 Indian Dance:
Classical:
5) Odishi: State: Odisha.
6) Manipuri: State: Manipur
7) Kathak: State: UP, origins from the Ras Leela of
Brajbhoomi.
8) Sattriya: State: Assam, introduced by Saint
Sankardeva.
NOTE: Besides these eight (8) dances, Ministry of Cultural
has recognised Chhau dance (Jharkhand) as another classical
dance.
 Indian Dances:
Folk Dances of India:
A) Chhau: Three main styles: Saraikella Chhau (Jharkhand),
Mayurbhanj Chhau (Odisha) and Purulia Chhau (WB).
B) Garba: State: Gujarat, held during Navaratri.
C) Dandiya Raas: State: Gujarat
D) Ghoomar: State: Rajasthan, performed by women of Bhil
tribe, Rajasthan.
E) Bhangra: State: Punjab.
F) Bagarumba: Performed by Bodo tribes of Assam.
G) Cheraw: State: Mizoram, performed using Bamboo
sticks.
H) Hojagiri: State: Tripura.
 Famous Folk Theatres:
A) Ankia Naat: Traditional one-act play of Assam, stated by
Srimanta Sankardeva.
B) Ramlila: Popular in UP region.
C) Jatra: from Eastern India, initiated by Chaityana Mahaprahu
etc.
D) Nautanki: Most popular in North India, origined in UP.
E) Ojapali: State: Assam, associated with festival of Maa
Manasa.
F) Tamasha: State: Maharashtra. Tamasha performances
generally accompanied by Lavani songs.
G) Yakshagana: Originated in the royal courts of Vijaynagar
empire, prevalent in Karnataka and parts of Kerala.
 Famous Martial Arts:

A) Kalaripayattu: Oldest martial arts in India,

originated in Kerala around 3rd century BC.

B) Thang-ta: Created by Meitei people of

Manipur.
 Ancient Indian Literature:
Vedas: 'Veda' means knowledge.
Four Vedas: Rig, Yajur, Sama, Atharva
Rig Veda: Oldest existing Veda, consists of 1028
hymns, divided in 10 books, called Mandalas.
Focus of this Veda is worldly prosperity and natural
beauty.
Hymns are dedicated to Lord Indra, chief deity. Other
prominent rig vedic gods: Agni, Varuna, Rudra, Aditya,
Vayu (male gods) and Usha, Prithivi, Vak (female
goddesses)
 Ancient Indian Literature:
Yajur Veda:
Concentrates on rites and mantras of sacrifices. Predominantly
a ritual veda and acts as guidebook for priests who conducted
sacrificial rituals.
Sama Veda:
Concentrates on melody or songs. It is called 'book of chants'
and shows us the development of Indian Music during vedic period.
Atharva Veda:
Atharvaveda is a Vedic-era collection of spells, prayers, and
charms. It covers aspects related to man's daily life and also focuses
on treatment of several ailments.
 Ancient Indian Literature:
Vedangas:
They are six auxiliary disciplines associated with the study
and understanding of the Vedas, as follows: Shiksha (Phonetics),
Kalpa (Ritual Canon), Vyakaran (Grammar), Nirukta
(explanation), Chhanda (Vedic meter), Jyotisha (Astrology)
Brahmanas:
The Brahmanas are the prose texts which explain the
hymns in the Vedas, give explanation and applications and
related stories of their origin. Each Veda has one or more
Brahmana attached to it.
 Ancient Indian Literature:
Aranyakas:
These Vedic texts describe the philosophy behind the
rituals and sacrifices involved in the Vedas. It's believed that
Munis, who preferred to dwell within the limits of the
forests, taught them.
Upanishads:
Also known as Vedantas, as they are the last part of
Vedas, these Sanskrit texts deal with meditation, philosophy,
consciousness, and ontological knowledge.
 Ancient Indian Literature:
Mahakavyas (Epic):
Ramayana: Also called Adikavya, written originally by
Adikavi Valmiki. Consists of 24000 verses and divided into seven
books, called Khandas.
Mahabharata: Most popular version was penned by Ved Vyas
in Sanskrit. Current form consists of 1,00,000 verses and divided
into 10 Parvas (chapters).
It also consists of an important Hindu Text, Bhagwata Gita,
which is contained in the Bhishma Parva of the epic.
Puranas:
There are 18 major Puranas, most well-knowns are: Bhagavata,
Brahma, Vayu, Agni, Garuda, Padma, Vishnu and Matsya.
 Classical Sanskrit Literature:
Sanskrit Drama:
Kalidasa:
His three major plays: Malavikagnimitra,
Vikramorvasiya, Abhigyana Shakuntalam.
Sudraka: Mricchakatika
Vishakhadutta: Mudrarakshasa
Harshavardhana: Wrote three Sanskrit plays:
Ratnavali, Nagananda & Priyadarshika
 Classical Sanskrit Literature:
Sanskrit Poetry:
Kalidasa: Kumarasambhava, Raghuvamsa.
He also wrote two smaller epics:
Meghaduta, Ritusamhara.
Harisena: Prayag Prashasti, in praise of
Samudragupta.
Jayadeva: Gita Govinda
 Sanskrit Literature:
Other major Sanskrit texts:
Manusmriti: laws of Manu.
Arthashastra: Chanakya/Kautilya/Vishnugupta.
Charak Samhita: Book on medicine.
Sushruta Samhita: Book on surgery.
Pancha-Siddhantika & Brihat Samhita:
Varahmihira
Aryabhatiya: Aryabhatta
Rajtarangani: Kalahana
 Buddhist Literature:
Tripitaka: written in Pali language, they are:
a) Vinaya Pitaka: rules and regulations to be followed
by Buddhist monks.
b) Sutta Pitaka: dialogues and speeches of Buddha that
deals with morality and righteous dharma.
c) Abhidhamma Pitaka: concentrates on philosophy,
ethics, theory of knowledge and psychology.
Jatakas: Compilation of stories from previous births of
Buddha.
Buddhacharita: Asvaghosha (Sanskrit).
 Jain Literature:
Language: Prakrit.
Agamas: they are considered as teachings of Jain
tirthankars. Agamas are written in Ardhamagadhi
Prakrit language.
Bhadrabahu: teacher of Chandragupta Maurya.
He wrote Kalpa Sutra (biographies of Jain
Tirthankars) and was the pioneer of Digambara
sect of Jainism.
 Sikh Literature:
Beliefs and philosophies of Sikhism are written in
sacred scripture: Guru Granth Sahib.
Adi Grantha: Compiled during fifth guru, Guru
Arjun Deva in 1604.
Later it was expanded in 1678 under 10th guru
Guru Gobinda Singh into Guru Granth Sahib.
It is written in Gurumukhi script and in a
language called Sant Bhasa.
 Medieval Literature:
Persian:
It came to India with Turks and Mughals in 12th century. Examples:
Delhi Sultanate:
Finest Persian poet: Amir Khusrau Dehlavu
Famous Historians:
Ziauddin Barani: Tarikh-e-Firoz Shahi
Minhaj-i-Siraj: Tabaqat-i-Nasiri
Mughal Period: Famous texts:
Baburnama (autobiography): Babur
Humayun-namah: Gulbadan Begum
Ain-e Akbari & Akbarnama: Abul Fazl
Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri (autobiography): Jahangir
 Medieval Literature:
Other major works:
Razmnama: Persian translation of
Mahabharata
Hamzanama: Depiction of mythical Persian
hero Amir Hamza
Padmavat: Malik Muhammad Jayasi
Shahjahannama: Inayat Khan
Padshahnama: Abdul Hamid Lohri.
 Famous Urdu Poets:
Mirza Ghalib: Diwan (collection of poetry)
Iqbal: Bang-e-Dara. Mostly famous for writing 'Sara Jahan se
Achcha'.
Hindi Literature:
Prithviraj Raso: It is considered as the first book in the Hindi
language. It is a Brajbhasha epic poem about the life of the 12th-
century Indian king Prithviraj Chauhan, originally composed by
Chand Bardai.
Kabir: Dohas (couplets)
Tulsidas: Ramcharitmanas
Surdas: Sur Sagar
 Notable Modern Literary Contents:
Madhusala: Harivansh Rai Bachchan,
Anandamath: Bankimchandra Chatterjee (contains Vande
Mataram),
Geetanjali: Rabindranath Tagore (1913 Nobel),
Neel Darpan: Dinabandhu Mitra,
The Guide, Malgudi Days: R K Narayan,
Train to Pakistan: Khuswanta Singh
The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian: Nirad Chaudhary,
The God of Small Things: Arundhati Roy,
The White Tiger: Aravinda Adiga,
A Suitable Boy: Vikram Seth,
The Great Indian Novel: Shashi Tharoor,
 Notable Modern Literary Contents:
India’s Struggle for Independence: Bipin Chandra,
English translations of Ramayana and Mahabharata:
C. Rajagopalchari,
The Immortals of Meluha/The Secret of the
Nagas/The Oath of the Vayuputras: Amish Tripathi,
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: Robin Sarmah,
You Can Win: Shiv Khera,
Salman Rushdie: Midnight Children, the Satanic Verses,
Mulk Raj Ananda: Untouchable, Coolie,
Amitabh Ghosa: The Glass Palace, the Hungry Tide etc.
 Foreign Travellers Account:
Magasthanese: Indica (Chandragupta Maurya)
Fa-Hien: Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms (Chandragupta
II)
Hiuen Tsang: Si-Yu-Ki (Harshavardhana)
Al-Biruni: Kitab-ul-Hind (founder of Indology, Father of
modern geodesy, and the first anthropologist)
Marco Polo: The Travels of Marco Polo (Italian
merchant, visited during Pandya dynasty, inspired
Columbus)
Ibn Battuta: Rihla (during Muhammad Bin Tughlaq)
 Foreign Travellers Account:
Nicolo De Conti: visited during Vijaynagara empire.
William Hawkins: Representative of English EIC and
ambassador of King James-I, visited Jahangir's court.
Sir Thomas Roe: Journal of the mission to Mughal
Empire. He stayed at Jahangir's court between 1615-1619.
Tavernier: French diamond merchant, visited during
Shahjahan's reign.
Bernier: Came to India in 1656 and stayed for 12 years in
Mughal Empire.
 Few Important Cultural Institutions:
Archeological Survey of India:
Under Ministry of Culture.
Founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham who also became its
first director.
John Marshall was the director when Harappan Civilization was
discovered.
All India Radio:
Under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Motto: Bahujan Hitaya, Bahujan Sukhaya.
It was established in 1936 and officially known since 1957 as
Akashvani.
 Few Important Cultural Institutions:
Sahitya Academy:
Sahitya Academy is the Indian National Academy of letters
intended to support the foundation of Indian literature.
Sahitya Academy was founded in March 1954.
It is an autonomous body fully funded by the Department of
Culture.
The Academy has recognised 24 languages. Head office: New
Delhi.
Sangeet Natak Academy:
Sangeet Natak Academy was established in 1953. The
Headquarters is at New Delhi.
 Few Important Cultural Institutions:
Lalit Kala Academy
It was established in 1954. Headquarters is at New
Delhi. The Regional Centres of Academy are at
Chennai, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Lucknow and Delhi.
National School of Drama
It is one among the chief theatre establishment of the
World and the only one of its type in India. It was set up
by Sangeet Natak Academy in 1959, later in 1975 it
became an autonomous body, totally financed by
Department of Culture.
 Important Awards:
Bharat Ratna:
Highest Civilian Award in India, started in 1954.
First Awardees: C Rajagopalachari, Dr. C V Raman, Dr.
S. Radhakrishnan,
First Posthumous Awardee: Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966)
Foreign Awardees: Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987), Nelson
Mandela (1990) & Mother Teresa (1980, naturalized
citizen)
Assamese winners: Gopinath Bordoloi (1999,
posthumously), Bhupen Hazarika (2019, posthumously)
 Important Awards:
Padma Awards:
They were instituted in the year 1954, is announced every
year on the occasion of Republic Day except for brief
interruption(s) during the years 1978 and 1979 and 1993 to
1997.
The award is given in three categories, namely:
Padma Vibhushan for exceptional and distinguished service;
Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order; and
Padma Shri for distinguished service.
 Important Awards:
National Film Awards:
Started in 1954.
Constituted of Swarna Kamal, Rajat Kamal and very
prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award.
Jnanpith Award:
Instituted in 1961, given to Indian citizen composing
literature in one of the 22 official languages and English.
First recipient: Malayalam writer G Sankara Kurup in 1965.
2021 (56th) : Nilamani Phookan,
2022 (57th) : Damodar Mauzo (Konkani)
 Important Awards:
The Sahitya Akademi Award:
It is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya
Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters,
annually confers on writers of the most outstanding
books of literary merit published in any of the 24 major
Indian languages[22 listed languages plus English &
Rajasthani]
The plaque awarded by the Sahitya Akademi was
designed by the Indian film-maker Satyajit Ray
 Important Awards:
Saraswati Samman:
Instituted in 1991 by K K Birla Foundation.
Dada Saheb Phalke Award:
Introduced in 1969, this is India's highest
award in cinema. Named after Dada Saheb
Phalke, who made India's first full length
feature film Raja Harishchandra (1913)
 Famous Fairs in India:
Kumbh Mela:
Held at following places on rotational basis: Prayagraj,
Haridwar, Nashik, Ujjain; at a time interval of 12 years.
Pushkar Fair:
One of the largest camel and cattle fairs held in Pushkar,
Rajasthan, starts on the day of Kartik Poornima.
Gangasagar Mela:
Held at the mouth of Hooghly river in West Bengal during
Makar Sankranti.
Desert Festival:
Held at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan in February every year.
 Important festivals:
Onam:
Held at Kerala, mainly a harvest festival and celebrates the homecoming of
Asura king Mahabali from Patla.
Pongal:
Four day harvest festival celebrated at Tamils and marks the beginning of
Uttarayan. It's an occasion for giving thanks to Sun God.
Losoong festival:
This is the Sikkimise new year celebration.
Hornbill Festival:
10 day festival that starts on 1st December, held at Kisama heritage village in
Nagaland.
Wangala (100 drums festival):
Garo tribe celebrates it in Meghalaya.
Losar Festival:
Mainly celebrated by Monpa tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, at Tawang.
 Miscellaneous facts related to Art and Culture:
a) Jaipur city declared UNESCO World Heritage Site.
b) PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage
Augmentation Dive) scheme aims at integrated development
of pilgrimage destinations under Ministry of Tourism.
c) Under 'Adopt a Heritage' project, ten Monuments have been
selected where a company to utilise it's CSR funds to develop
and conserve these monuments.
d) Statue of Unity: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (world's tallest
statue) at Narmada district, Gujarat.
e) Statue of Equality: Ramanuja at Hyderabad.
 That’s it, folks.
All the best.
May all of you succeed with flying
color !
Will see you soon, hopefully !
THE END