Sculpture & Iconography — Schools (Mathura, Gandhara, Amravati), Symbols

What should you study in Sculpture & Iconography?

• Sculpture schools — Mathura, Gandhara, Amaravati, Gupta style
• Iconography — mudras, vahanas, avatars
• Bronze casting — Chola bronzes (Nataraja), lost-wax technique
• Folk sculpture & terracotta — Bankura horses, Chandraketugarh

How often is Sculpture & Iconography 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: asked
4. 2019: not asked
5. 2020: not asked
6. 2021: not asked
7. 2022: 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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