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Art & Culture PYQ

IAS Art & CultureArt & Culture previous year questions with solutions.

Browse by Year

Art & Culture at a glance

Questions per year

80 across 26 years

Difficulty mix

80 total
  • easy8 · 10%
  • medium65 · 81%
  • hard7 · 9%

Subtopic-wise weightage

Breakdown of the 80 Art & Culture questions tagged to a subtopic, by year — darker cells mean more questions.

SubtopicWeightageTotal20262025202420232021202020192018201720162015201420132012201020092006200420032002200120001999199819971996
Indian Art & Architecture
41.3%
3321222112232121131121
Indian Literature
21.3%
1721112211123
Indian Music
11.3%
921111111
Indian Paintings
10.0%
811111111
Indian Dance Forms
8.8%
713111
Fairs & Festivals
5.0%
41111
Indian Theatre
2.5%
211
All subtopics8052233125433954121111345145
FewerMore questions

All Art & Culture Questions (80)

Which one of the following Carnatic music ragas is similar to Raga Bilawal in Hindustani music?

2026
medium
mcq

Which of the following temples has/have a Nagara-style shikhara? 1. Malegitti Shivalaya, Badami 2. Huchimalligudi Temple, Aihole 3. Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh 4. Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal Select the answer using the code given below :

2026
medium
mcq

Which of the following statements on the Amaravati Stupa and its relief sculpture is/are correct? 1. It was located in the lower Krishna valley. 2. In India, it was next only to the Sanchi Stupa in size. 3. The Amaravati school of sculpture made a lasting impact on the later South Indian sculpture, and its products were carried to Sri Lanka and South-east Asia. Select the answer using the code given below :

2026
medium
mcq

The Hallisalasya painting in the Bagh Caves represents :

2026
medium
mcq

Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, the famous classical singer from Karnataka, represented the :

2026
medium
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The first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, a music training school, was set up in 1901 by Vishnu Digambar Paluskar in

2025
medium
mcq

The famous female figurine known as 'Dancing Girl', found at Mohenjo-daro, is made of

2025
easy
mcq

Consider the following statements : 1. There are no parables in Upanishads. 2. Upanishads were composed earlier than the Puranas. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

2024
medium
mcq

Which one of the following is a work attributed to playwright Bhasa ?

2024
medium
mcq

Consider the following pairs : Site | Well known for 1. Besnagar | Shaivite cave shrine 2. Bhaja | Buddhist cave shrine 3. Sittanavasal | Jain cave shrine How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

2023
medium
mcq

With reference to the Indian History, Alexander Rea, A. H. Longhurst, Robert Sewell, James Burgess and Walter Elliot were associated with

2023
medium
mcq

With reference to ancient Indian History, consider the following pairs: Literary work | Author 1. Devichandragupta | Bilhana 2. Hammira-Mahakavya | Nayachandra Suri 3. Milinda-panha | Nagarjuna 4. Nitivakyamrita | Somadeva Suri How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

2023
medium
mcq

Which one of the following statements is correct?

2021
medium
mcq

With reference to Chausath Yogini Temple situated near Morena, consider the following statements: 1. It is a circular temple built during the reign of Kachchhapaghata Dynasty. 2. It is the only circular temple built in India. 3. It was meant to promote the Vaishnava cult in the region. 4. Its design has given rise to a popular belief that it was the inspiration behind the Indian Parliament building. Which of the statements given above are correct?

2021
hard
mcq

Who among the following is associated with 'Songs from Prison', a translation of ancient Indian religious lyrics in English?

2021
medium
mcq

With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements: 1. Panini is associated with Pushyamitra 2. Amarasimha is associated with Harshavardhana 3. Kalidasa is associated with Chandra Gupta-II Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

2020
hard
mcq

With reference to Mian Tansen, which one of the following statements is not correct?

2019
medium
mcq

Who among the following Mughal Emperors shifted emphasis from illustrated manuscripts to album and individual portrait?

2019
medium
mcq

Consider the following pairs: Tradition | State 1. Chapchar Kut festival | Mizoram 2. Khongjom Parba ballad | Manipur 3. Thang-Ta dance | Sikkim Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

2018
medium
mcq

With reference to cultural history of India, consider the following statements : 1. Most of the Tyagaraja Kritis are devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna. 2. Tyagaraja created several new ragas. 3. Annamacharya and Tyagaraja are contemporaries. 4. Annamacharya kirtanas are devotional songs in praise of Lord Venkateshwara. Which of the statements given above are correct ?

2018
medium
mcq

The well-known painting "Bani Thani" belongs to the

2018
medium
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Consider the following pairs: Craft | Heritage of 1. Puthukkuli shawls | Tamil Nadu 2. Sujni embroidery | Maharashtra 3. Uppada Jamdani saris | Karnataka Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

2018
medium
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With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following statements : 1. White marble was used in making Buland Darwaza and Khankah at Fatehpur Sikri. 2. Red sandstone and marble were used in making Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza at Lucknow. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

2018
medium
mcq

The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani is one of the most famous and oft-illustrated paintings at

2017
easy
mcq