Mains GS Paper IArt & Culture

Literature, Languages & Classical Language Status — Sanskrit/Prakrit/Tamil

साहित्य, भाषाएं और शास्त्रीय भाषा दर्जा — संस्कृत/प्राकृत/तमिल

Literature, Languages & Classical Language Status — Sanskrit/Prakrit/Tamil is part of the UPSC Mains GS Paper I syllabus, under Art & Culture. It appeared in Mains GS Paper I question papers in 2 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025 (2017, 2021).

What should you study in Literature, Languages & Classical Language Status?

  • Sanskrit literature — epics (Ramayana, Mahabharata), Kalidasa, Chanakya
  • Prakrit & Pali — Jain canonical texts, Ashvaghosa
  • Tamil Sangam literature — Five Landscapes (Tinais), Tolkappiyam
  • Bhakti literature — Kabir, Tulsidas, Mirabai, Surdas

How often is Literature, Languages & Classical Language Status 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: asked
  3. 2018: not asked
  4. 2019: not asked
  5. 2020: not asked
  6. 2021: asked
  7. 2022: not asked
  8. 2023: not 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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