Indian Painting — Ajanta, Mughal, Rajput, Pahari, Company Schools

What should you study in Indian Painting?

• Indian painting schools — Ajanta (narrative), Mughal (portraiture), Rajput (devotional)
• Pahari school — Kangra, Basohli sub-styles
• Company painting & Bengal School (Tagore influence)
• Contemporary Indian art — Progressive Artists Group

How often is Indian Painting asked in UPSC Mains?

Asked in 2 of 10 years, including 1 of the last 5. Highlighted years below are the ones it appeared in.

1. 2016: not asked
2. 2017: not asked
3. 2018: not asked
4. 2019: asked
5. 2020: not asked
6. 2021: not asked
7. 2022: not asked
8. 2023: asked
9. 2024: not asked
10. 2025: not asked

About the Mains GS Paper I paper

GS Paper I is a 250-mark descriptive Mains paper covering Indian heritage and culture, history and geography of the world, and society. See all 41 Mains GS Paper I topics.

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