CULTURE
Culture
Nodal Ministry
Minister of State
(Ind. Charge)
Objective
Functions
Ministry of Culture
Dr. Mahesh Sharma
The main objective of the Ministry is preservation of all art forms and culture, their
promotion and effective dissemination through various activities like maintenance and
conservation of heritage, historic sites and ancient monuments, promotion of literary,
visual and performing arts and proper documentation through administration of
libraries. Besides, the Ministry promotes institutions and organisations of Buddhist and
Tibetan studies, and institutional and individual nonofficial initiatives. Similarly it
observes the centenaries and anniversaries of important national personalities and
events. Above all the Ministry has entered into cultural agreements with many world
nations.
The Ministry of culture acts as a nodal ministry in creating cultural awareness from the
grassroots level to international cultural exchange level through protection,
development and promotion of heritage and culture. For this the Ministry has
identified three areas namely tangible Heritage, intangible Heritage and knowledge
Heritage apart from propagating Gandhian Heritage.
TANGIBLE, INTANGIBLE AND KNOWLEDGE HERITAGE
India with a rich history along its timeline has witnessed dissemination of various cultures which have
contributed immensely to the structure of the social fabric that exist today. The footprints in the tangible form
include buildings and historic places, monuments, artefacts and other objects with archaeological,
architectural, scientific and technological significance. The Ministry of culture is committed in preserving the
cultural heritage in its tangible form.
The definition of intangible Heritage is given by the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage under UNESCO. The Convention defines the intangible cultural heritage as a practices,
representations, expressions as well as the knowledge and skill (including instruments, objects, artefacts,
cultural spaces) that communities groups and in some cases individuals recognize as a part of their cultural
heritage. In a bid to preserve the intangible cultural heritage, the Ministry of culture focuses upon preservation
of oral traditions and expressions, innumerable languages and dialects, performing arts and traditional
craftsmanship. Further the Ministry has laid out plans for preserving and promoting social practices, rituals and
festive events-particularly concerned with the nature in their original form.
Similarly in the knowledge Heritage domain, the Ministry resort to established resource institutions as
mentioned below.
Knowledge Resources Heritage
National Archives of India
Nava Nalanda Mahavihara
Anthropological Survey of India
Central Institute of Himalayan Cultural Studies
Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti
National Library
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation
Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya
Delhi Public Library
copyright@upscpatrika.com
Asiatic Society
Rampur Raza Library
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian studies
Central Reference Library
Central University of Higher Tibetan Studies
Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library
Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji Mahal Library
PERFORMING ARTS IN INDIA
MUSIC
Indian classical music has mainly two branches-Hindustani and Carnatic, both of which are extensively pursued
in the realm of art. The diversity of practice led to formation of various traditions of which gharanas and
sampradayas have evolved through generations of oral practice.
Gharana – Definition
Gharana is a system of music adhered to by musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship. It is a
comprehensive musicological ideology which varies substantially from one Gharana to another. Gharanas
influence the thinking, teaching, performance and appreciation of music.
Gharanas
Distinguishing Feature
Founders
Gwalior Gharana
Oldest among all the Khayal Gayaki (vocal) styles
Ustad Hassu Khan
Lucid and Simple
Ustad Haddu Khan
Ustad Nathu Khan
Agra Gharana
Kirana Gharana
Atrauli
(Jaipur)
Gharana
Rampur Sahaswan
Gharana
Forcefulness and deepness in the voice
Haji Sujan Khan
Powerful and resonant notes
Swara is used to create an emotional mood
Ustad Ghagghe
Baksh
Abdul Karim Khan
Elongation and use of Kana
Abdul Wahid Khan
Complex and melodic form which arises out of the
involutedly and undulating phrases
Ustad Alladiya Khan
Stress on the clarity of swara
Ustad Inayat Khan
Khuda
Development and elaboration of the raga is done
through a stepwise progression
Patiala Gharana
Use of greater rhythm play and by Layakari with the
abundant use of Bols, particularly Bol-tans
Ustad Fateh Ali Khan
Delhi Gharana
Pleasing vistaar and exquisite compositions.
Ustad Mamman Khan
Bhendi
Gharana
Presentation of Khayal, which is open voice, using Akar
Ustad Chajju Khan
Ustad Ali Baksh
Bazaar
Stress on breath-control and singing of long passages in
one breath
Benaras Gharana
Lilting style of khayal singing known by Thumri singers of
Benaras and Gaya
Pt Gopal Mishra
Mewati Gharana
Importance to developing the mood of the raga through
the notes forming it and its style is Bhava Pradhan
Ghagge Nazir Khan
Equal importance to the meaning of the text
Apart from the vocal tradition, India is rich in its diversity of musical instruments ranging from string
instruments, percussion instruments to wind instruments. String instruments which produce sound from a
copyright@upscpatrika.com
vibrating string stretched between two points include sitar, Santoor, sarod,veena etc. percussion instruments
include those consisting a hollow cylinder and a stretched membrane at the ends. They may either be drum
percussion instruments like Tabla, Pakhwai etc., or non-drum percussion instruments like bells, gongs,
ghunguru etc. finally, the wind instruments using a vibrating mass of air to their convenience include float,
harmonium, saxophone, clarinet etc. famous personalities who has excelled in various forms of music are
tabulated below.
Music - Famous Personalities
Vocal
Instrumental
Hindustani Vocalists
Instrument
Instrumentalist
String Instruments
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
Sitar
Pandit Ravi Shankar
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali
Khan
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi
Santoor
Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
Sarod
Ustad Amzad Ali Khan
Ustad Bismillah Khan
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
Pandit Kumar Gandharva
Veena
Pandit Ravi Shankar
Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Mohan Veena)
Pandit S. D. Batish (Rudra Veena)
Ustad Zakir Hussain
Sarangi
Ustad Sultan Khan
Nagaraja Rao Havaldar
Violin
Smt N. Rajam
Anant Manohar Joshi
L. Subramaniam
Vishnu Digambar Paluskar
Percussion Instruments
Jagannathbuwa Purohit
Tabla
Saraswati Rane
Ustad Zakir Hussian
Ustad Allarakha
Jagannathbuwa Purohit
Pakhawaj
Pandit Bhawani Shankar
Carnatic Vocalists
Mrudangam
Pazhani Subramanya Pillai
M. Balamuralikrishna
G. Ramakrishnan
M. S. Subbulaksmi
Wind Instruments
T. V. Gopalakrishnan
Harmonium
T. V. Sankaranarayanan
Sri
Madurai
Seshagopalan
R. K. Srikantan
Mehmood Dhaulpuri
Pandit R K Bijapure Maha Meru
TN
Flute
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
Shehnai
Ustad Bismillah Khan
Nityashree Mahadevan
Nadaswaram
Sheikh Chinna Moulana
Sudha Ragunathan
Saxophone
Kadri Gopinath
DANCE
Indian dance forms primarily attribute their origin to the rich mythology and folklore’s which laid the platform
for creation of legends and classical literature. In its true form Indian dance forms can be classified into
classical and folk. While the classical dance forms are based on ancient dance principle and discipline with rigid
rules of presentation, the folklores and tribal dances garner for the richness of Indian culture.
Classical Dance Forms
Dance Form
Region
Bharatanatyam
Tamil Nadu
Main exponents
Alarmel Valli
Anita Ratnam
copyright@upscpatrika.com
Balasarswati
Mallika Sarabhai
Mrinalini Sarabhai
Padma Subramanyam
Pandanallur Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai
Rukmini Devi
Yamini Krishnamurthy
Kathakali
Kerala
Kalamandalam Gopi
Kalamandalam Kesavan Namboodiri
Kalamandalam Krishna Prasad
Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair
Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody
Kavungal Chathunni Panicker
Kottakkal Sivaraman
Kathak
North India
Kartik Ram - Kalyan Das
Kumudini Lakhiya
Malabika Mitra
Manisha Gulyani
Pandit Birju Maharaj
Shovana Narayan
Sitara Devi
Kuchipudi
Andhra Pradesh
Bhavana Reddy
Kaushalya Reddy
Raja and Radha Reddy
Sonal Mansingh
Yamini Krishnamurthy
Yamini Reddy
Manipuri
Manipur
Guru Naba Kumar
Guru Nileshwar Mukharji
Guru Senarik Singh Rajkumar
Jhaveri Sisters – Darshana and Ranjana
Mohiniyattam
Kerala
Gopika Varma
Jayaprabha Menon
Pallavi Krishnan
Radha Dutta
Smitha Rajan
Sunanda Nair
Vijayalakshmi
Odissi
Odisha
Aadya Kaktikar
Aditi Bandhopadhyay
Anita Babu
Arpita Venkatesh
Aruna Mohanty
THEATRE
copyright@upscpatrika.com
Traditionally Indian theatre art forms relied more on mythology, legends and classical literature. Today theatre
has evolved to reflect the social conditions although in its classical form the survival is confined to certain
areas. However the theatre art is promoted through institutional setup like Sandeep noetic Academy.
Compared to the classical theatre art forms, folk theatre can be seen in its regional variants practically in every
region. Besides, India has a rich tradition of puppet theatre, prevalent forms being puppets, rod puppets, glove
puppets and leather puppets (shadow theatre). Various forms of traditional theatre and the region they
belong to is given in the table below.
Traditional Theatre
Forms
Region
Bhand Pather
Kashmir
Swang
Haryana
Nautanki
Uttar Pradesh
Bhavai
Gujarat
Jatra
West Bengal
Maach
Madhya Pradesh
Bhaona
Assam
Tamaasha
Maharashtra
Dashavatar
Konkan and Goan Regions
 Krishnattam
 Mudiyettu,
 Theyyam
 Koodiyattam
Yakshagaana
Kerala
Therukoothu
Tamil Nadu
Karnataka
Puppets
Forms
Region
String Puppets
Kathputli
Rajasthan
Kundhei
Odisha
Gombeyatta
Karnataka
Bommalattam
Tamil Nadu
Shadow Puppets
Togalu Gombeyatta
Karnataka
Tholu Bommalata
Andhra Pradesh
Ravanachhaya
Odisha
Indian Artists Excelled in Painting
Abanindranath Tagore
Amrita Shergill
F. N. Souza
Jamini Roy
Jatin Das
M. F. Hussain
Nandlal Bose
Raja Rabi Varma
Satish Gujral
Rod Puppets
Putul Nautch
West Bengal
S H Raza
Yampuri
Bihar
Tyeb Mehta
Glove Puppets
Pavakoothu
Kerala
copyright@upscpatrika.com
AUTONOMOUS ORGANISATIONS
ORGANIZATIONS DEALING WITH INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
Intangible Cultural heritage - Autonomous Organisations
Lalit Kala Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sahitya Akademi (Indian National Academy of Letters)
National School of Drama
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA)
Centre for Cultural Resources and Training
Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCC)
L ALIT K ALA A KADEMI
Established in 1954, the Academy seeks to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art at the domestic
and international level. This institution established by the government of India has its headquarters at New
Delhi and regional centers across the country. The regional centers are called Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendra’s and
established at Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Garhi, Shimla and Bhubaneswar. The regional centres hold
workshops in painting, sculpture, printmaking and ceramics. The Academy is committed in conducting annual
exhibitions of contemporary art at the national level with 15 national awards worth Rs.50,000 each apart from
triennial exhibition conducted at international level TRIENNIAL India. With an attempt to acknowledge
eminence in various art forms, the Lalit Kala Academy facilitates artists and art historians annually by electing
them as fellows of the Academy. Similarly on its bid to promote awareness about its functions and various art
forms among the masses, the Academy brings out publications like bi-annual art journals, Lalit Kala
Contemporary (English), Lalit Kala Ancient (English) and Samkaleen Kala (Hindi). Above all the Academy seeks
to embrace the innovations, changes and movements across the world in various realms of art. In its
endeavour to do so, the Academy participates in international Biennials and Triennials abroad. Further the
Academy also foster contacts with international artists, it sponsors exchange of artists with other countries
under the various Cultural Exchange Programmes and Agreements of the Government.
S ANGEET N ATAK A KADEMI
With an idea of preserving and promoting the rich intangible heritage of Indian culture government of India
established Sangeet Natak Academy in 1952. The Sangeet Natak Akademi serves as the apex body to promote
performing art forms in the arena of music, dance and drama for which it has established organisations like
National School of Drama in Delhi,(1959;), Jawaharlal Nehru Manipuri Dance Academy in Imphal (1964) and
Kathak Kendra in Delhi (1964). Besides, the Academy launched many projects in course of time to recognise
the relevance of various traditional art forms. For example, a project on Kutiyattam theatre of Kerala was
launched in 1991 to mark the significance of a waning tradition which led to the declaration of Kutiyattam as
the masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001 by UNESCO. Similarly Academy initiated
projects on Chhau dance of Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal, in 1994 and Sattriya music, dance, theatre and
allied arts of Assam, in 2002. Sangeet Natak Academy is well-known for its awards or fellowships aimed at
felicitating the renowned artists. While the Academy Awards are the highest national recognition conferred
upon artists, the fellowships worth Rs. 3 lakh and scholarship worth Rs. 1 lakh are awarded to 30 living
recipients, besides a shawl and a Tamrapatra.
copyright@upscpatrika.com
S AHITYA A KADEMI (I NDIAN N ATIONAL A CADEMY OF L ETTERS )
Government of India established Sahitya Academy in 1954 with its headquarters at New Delhi and four
regional centres at Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangaluru. Academy which recognises 24 Indian languages
has two translation centres at Bangalore and Kolkata besides a project office at Shillong for promotion of oral
and tribal literature. The Academy also has an archive of Indian literature in Delhi. Academy seeks to promote
the cause of Indian literature to great heights. Sahitya Akademi Honorary Fellowhip is the highest honour
conferred by the Akademi on a writer, by electing him as its Fellow. The Fellowship is limited to 21 only at a
time and is reserved for the immortals of literature. The Academy has instituted Anand Fellowship to entertain
scholars from Asian Countries to pursue literary projects of their choice. Similarly, Premchand Fellowship is
given to scholars doing research on Indian literature or to creative writers from the countries of the SAARC
region other than India. The Sahitya Academy publishes journals in three languages-English Hindi and Sanskrit
including Indian Literature (bimonthly in English), Samkaleena Bharatiya Sahitya (bi-monthly in Hindi) and
Samskrita Pratibha (half-yearly in Sanskrit). Besides the journals Academy is also launched a project named
Encyclopedia of Indian Poetics. Further the Academy is also involved in conducting seminars for the promotion
of literature in the country. It holds an annual week-long ‘Festival of Letters’, usually in February with Awardgiving ceremony, Samvatsar Lecture and a National Seminar. Similarly, the Akademi has also introduced a
series of programmes entitled Sur Sahitya in 2004-05.
N ATIONAL S CHOOL OF D RAMA
Currently an autonomous organisation, the National School of Drama was established by Sangeet Natak
Akademi in 1959. The National School of Drama which became autonomous in 1975 seeks to train students in
all aspects of theatre like history, production, scene design, costume design, lighting, make-up et cetera. In
1964 Repertory Company was set up as a performing wing so as to maintain professional theatre and
innovative experimental platform on parallel lines. The school at present has a regional research Centre at
Bangalore to promote professionalism in theatre arts particularly in the southern states of Karnataka, Kerala,
Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and the union Territory of Puducheri. The school has also contributed in
developing children’s theatre by establishing Theatre in Education Company in 1989. The theatre was later
renamed as Sanskar Rang Toli. In order to enthuse the young population, the school has been organising
National Theatre Festival since 1998 in the name ’Jasne Bachpan’.
I NDIRA G ANDHI N ATIONAL C ENTRE FOR THE A RTS (IGNCA)
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts is an autonomous organisation established in 1987 to pursue
knowledge on cultural heritage and the art forms and their relationship with life in general with a connotation
to various disciplines of knowledge. As it is understood various art forms and a rich cultural heritage will have
an inseparable bond with a practices and lifestyle of communities in various regions, across various social
strata in course of time. The Centre seeks to analyse such an inevitable and unavoidable link the domestic as
well as international front. The institution performs its functions through six major functional units, diverse in
their activities ranging across documentation to exhibitions. IGCA has regional centres at Bangaluru (Southern
Regional Centre), Varanasi (extension of the Kalakosa) and Guwahati (North East Centre).
copyright@upscpatrika.com
IGCA –Functional Units
Functional Unit
Function
Sutaradhara
Administrative section
Kala Nidhi
Documentation - multi-form library
Janapada Sampada
Lifestyle studies
Kala Kosa
Study and publication of fundamental texts in Indian Languages, Indological
and Sanskrit studies supported by Varanasi extension
Researches and studies related exhibitions
Kaladarsana
Cultural
Lab
Informatics
Technology tools application for cultural preservation and propagation
C ENTRE FOR C ULTURAL R ESOURCES AND T RAINING
CCRT was constituted in 1979 at New Delhi under the aegis of Ministry of culture. As indicated by its name
CCRT seeks to instill a broader idea of diversity of Indian culture among students and thereby revitalising
education system. For this, CCRT emphasized upon integrating knowledge on plurality with current system of
education. CCRT has three regional centres at Udaipur, Hyderabad and Guwahati. CCRT organizes training
programmes for in-service teachers and Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme for children in the age
group of 10 to 14 years to develop their talent in various cultural fields particularly in rare art forms. The
Children are selected from recognized schools or from among those belonging to families practicing traditional
performing or other arts.
Z ONAL C ULTURAL C ENTRES (ZCC)
The zonal cultural centres were established in 1985-86 to create public awareness on local cultures. The
centres revealed the interrelationship between local cultures and zonal identities with the establishment of
zonal centres at Patiala, Kolkata, Thanjavur, Udaipur, Allahabad,Dimapur and Nagpur. The zonal centres
actively promote performing arts, literary and visual arts. The cultural centres at each zone have developed a
team of folk artists who perform in the Republic Day celebrations. Apart from the cultural fair, crafts fair is also
organised during the Republic Day celebrations. The musicians, performing artists and scholars from various
zones engage in the Natural Cultural Exchange Programme. This has in turn succeeded in creating awareness
about various tribal/folk art forms across the country. Apart from this, the Zonal Cultural Centres documents
and manages various folk and tribal art forms. The Zonal Cultural Centres have initiated schemes for Theatre
Rejuvenation and scheme of Guru Shishya Parampara to promote new talents in the field of music and dance.
The ZCCs also organize Shilpgrams to provide promotion and marketing facilities to craftsmen.
copyright@upscpatrika.com
ORGANISATION DEALING WITH TANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
Tangible Cultural Heritage – Autonomous Organisations
Archaeological Survey of India
National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA)
National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM)
National Museum
National Gallery of Modern Art
National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology
National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property
Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata
Anthropological Survey of India
National Archives of India
Libraries
A RCHAEOLOGICAL S URVEY OF I NDIA





Established in 1861.
major activities of the ASI are :
o Survey of archaeological remains and excavations;
o Maintenance and conservation of centrally protected monuments, sites and remains;
o Chemical preservation of monuments and antiquarian remains;
o Architectural survey of monuments;
o Development of epigraphical research and numismatic studies;
o Setting up and re-organisation of site museums;
o Expedition abroad;
o Training in Archaeology;
o Publication of technical report and research works.
Under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, the ASI has declared
three thousand six hundred and seventy five monuments/sites to be of national importance in the
country which includes twenty one properties that are inscribed on the World Heritage List by
UNESCO.
Nomination dossiers for the following sites have been sent to the World Heritage Centre for
inscription on the World Heritage List of UNESCO :
o Shri Harminder Sahib (Golden Temple) at Amritsar, Punjab.
o Majuli Island in Mid-stream of river Brahmaputra in Assam.
o Valley of Flowers as an extension to the Nanda Devi National Park in Uttaranchal.
o Red Fort, Delhi (a deferred nomination).
The activities of its various wings are as under;
o Underwater Archaeology Wing: Search, study and preservation of cultural heritage lying
submerged in inland or territorial waters in Arabian Sea as well as in Bay of Bengal.
o Science Branch: with headquarters at Dehradun and field laboratories in different parts of
the country carries out chemical preservation of monuments, antiquities, manuscripts,
paintings, etc.
o Horticulture Branch: maintains gardens in about two hundred and eighty seven centrally
protected monuments/sites located in different parts of the country.
o Epigraphy Branch:
copyright@upscpatrika.com

 at Mysore carries out research work in Sanskrit and Dravidian languages;
 at Nagpur carries out research work in Arabic and Persian
Expeditions Abroad: conservation project of Ta Prohm, Cambodia under the ITEC programme of
Ministry of External Affairs, started as per the assurance of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, during
his visits to Cambodia in April and November 2002 for a period of ten years and to be completed in
five phases. Launched formally in February 2004 in Cambodia.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Serial
Number
Site
Year
Cultural Heritage Sites
1.
Agra Fort
1983
2.
Ajanta Caves
1983
3.
Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi
1989
4.
Champaner Pavagadh Archaeological Park
2004
5.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)
2004
6.
Churches and Convents of Goa
1986
7.
Elephanta Caves
1987
8.
Ellora Caves
1983
9.
Fatehpur Sikri
1986
10.
Great Living Chola Temples
1987
11.
Group of Monuments at Hampi
1986
12.
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
1984
13.
Group of Monuments at Pattadakal
1987
14.
Hill Forts of Rajasthan
2013
15.
Humayun's Tomb, Delhi
1993
16.
Khajuraho Group of Monuments
1986
17.
Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya
2002
18.
Mountain Railways of India
1999
19.
Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi
1993
20.
Red Fort Complex
2007
21.
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka
2003
22.
Sun Temple, Konârak
1984
23.
Taj Mahal
1983
24.
The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
2010
Natural Heritage Site
25.
Kaziranga National Park
1985
26.
Keoladeo National Park
1985
27.
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
1985
28.
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks
1988
29.
Sundarbans National Park
1987
20.
Western Ghats
2012
copyright@upscpatrika.com
N ATIONAL M ISSION ON M ONUMENTS AND A NTIQUITIES (NMMA)


Launched on 19 March, 2007 with a mandate for preparation of a National Register for Built
Heritage, Sites and Antiques and setting up of a State level database on Built Heritage, Sites and
Antiquarian wealth for information and dissemination to planners, researchers etc. and better
management of such cultural resources.
The time frame prescribed for the NMMA to accomplish its mandate is five years.
N ATIONAL M ISSION FOR M ANUSCRIPTS (NMM)

Launched in 2003, with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) as the nodal agency, with a
primary objective to reclaim India's inheritance of knowledge contained in the vast treasure of
manuscripts.
N ATIONAL M USEUM


set up in 1949; has been functioning as a subordinate office under the Ministry of Culture since 1960,
houses over 2.6 lakh art objects dating from prehistoric era onwards.
Main activities of the Museum are: Exhibitions, Reorganisation/Modernisation of Galleries,
Educational Activities and Outreach Programmes, Public Relations, Publications, Photo
Documentation, Summer Holiday Programme, Memorial Lectures, Museum Corner, Photo Unit,
Modelling Unit, Library, Conservation Laboratory, and Teaching and Workshop.
N ATIONAL G ALLERY OF M ODERN A RT



Founded at New Delhi in 1954.
Aim: promotion and development of contemporary Indian Art.
Objective: to help people look at the works of modern art with understanding and sensitivity.
Keeping this in view, NGMA Mumbai was inaugurated in 1996, while a new one is being set up at
Bangalore.
N ATIONAL M USEUM I NSTITUTE OF H ISTORY OF A RT , C ONSERVATION AND M USEOLOGY




an autonomous organisation fully funded by the Ministry of Culture
Established and declared a Deemed University in 1989 at New Delhi.
the only Museum University in India
Main objectives:
o To provide education and training in the specialised areas of Art History, Conservation and
Museology leading to the award of M.A. and Ph.D. Degrees in these three disciplines.
o A few short-term courses - India Art and culture, Art Appreciation and Bhartiya Kalanidhi
(Hindi Medium) are also conducted to popularise the Indian culture.
o To organise seminars/workshops, conferences and special lectures on Museum Education,
Art and Culture in a befitting manner so as to open new areas in this field.
copyright@upscpatrika.com
Other important museums are: Indian Museum Victoria Memorial Hall, Salarjung Museum and National
Council of Science museum.
N ATIONAL R ESEARCH L ABORATORY FOR C ONSERVATION OF C ULTURAL P ROPERTY




Established in 1976, NRLC is a Subordinate Office of the Department of Culture, and is recognised by
the Department of Science and Technology as a scientific institution of the Government of India.
Aims and objectives: to develop conservation of cultural property in the country through:
conservation services and technical advice; training in different aspects of conservation; research in
methods and materials of conservation; and dissemination of the same information through library
services to the conservators across the country.
Headquarter: Lucknow,
Regional Conservation Laboratory at Mysore
R AMAKRISHNA M ISSION I NSTITUTE OF C ULTURE , K OLKATA


Conceived in 1936 as one of the permanent memorials to Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886) on the
occasion of his first birth centenary.
formally established on 29 January 1938 as a branch centre of the Ramakrishna Mission founded by
Swami Vivekananda to propagate the message of Vedanta as propounded by Sri Ramakrishna
A NTHROPOLOGICAL S URVEY OF I NDIA



In 1945, Anthropology section of the Zoological Survey was carved out to become the Anthropological
Survey of India
Objective: to carry out anthropological researches in the area of bio-cultural aspects of Indian
population in general and on those who are referred to as the ‘‘Weakest of the Weak’’ in particular
Head Office: at Kolkata, has 7 Regional Centres, one Sub-regional Centre, one permanent field station
and eight other field stations located in various parts of the country, besides a Camp Office at New
Delhi
N ATIONAL A RCHIVES OF I NDIA




Originally established in Kolkata on 11 March 1891
Shifted to New Delhi in 1926
It is the official custodian of all non-current record of permanent value to the Government of India
and its predecessor bodies.
It has a Regional Office at Bhopal and three Record Centres at Bhubaneswar, Jaipur and Pondicherry.
L IBRARIES

National Library: Established in 1948 at Kolkata with the passing of the imperial Library (Change of
Name) Act, 1948.
copyright@upscpatrika.com

Central Secretariat Library: originally known as Imperial Secretariat Library, Kolkata was established
in 1891. Since 1969 the Library has been housed at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi.
o The Library has two branches, namely, Hindi and Regional Languages Wing popularly known
as Tulsi Sadan Library, Bahawalpur House, New Delhi and a Text Book Library located at R.K.
Puram, New Delhi which caters to the needs of the wards of Central Government Employees
of Under Graduate level.
The other important libraries include: Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation, Delhi Public Library, Rampur
Raza library and Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library.
OTHER AUTONOMOUS BODIES
Organisation/
Institute
Established
Mandate/
Objectives
Notes
In 1964, Sanskrit, Pali,
Hindi,
English
and
Tibetan Languages were
introduced in addition to
Buddhist Philosophy
Buddhist Institutions
Central Institute
of
Buddhist
Studies
In 1962 in Leh
Established as a centre for monastic
Buddhist education
Central
university
of
Tibetan Studies
In
1967
at
Sarnath,
became
autonomous in
1977
Established with a view to educate the
youths of Tibet and Indian Students of the
Himalayan border areas
Nava
Nalanda
Maha Viahara
In
1951
at
Nalanda, Bihar
Established as a modern centre for Pali
Buddhist studies
Central Institue
of
Himalayan
Culture Studies
In
2010
Dahung,
Arunachal
Pradesh
at
Established with a view to undertake
graduate, post graduate and doctoral
programmes in Buddhist and Himalayan
Studies as well as establish and maintain
feeder schools as per requirement
at
Established as a centre for Asian Studies
By Sir William Jones
Other Autonomous Bodies
The
Society
Asiatic
In
1784
Kolkata
Gandhi
Smriti
and
Darshan
Samiti
In 1984 at Delhi
Established with basic aim to propagate
the life, mission and thought of Mahatma
Gandhi through various socio-educational
and cultural programmes
Formed by the merger of
Gandhi
Smriti
and
Gandhi Darshan
Kalakshetra
Foundation
In
1936
at
Adyar,
Tamil
Nadu
Established with a view to culturally revive
a country that was losing its identity under
the British Rule
Founder – Rukmini Devi,
a
Bharatanatyam
proponent
Maulana
Abul
Kalam
Azad
Institute of Asian
Studies
In
1993
Kolkata
Established as a centre for research and
learning with focus a on social, cultural,
economic and politico-administrative
developments in Asia from the middle of
A joint initiative of the
Department of Culture
and HRD MInsitry; and
the Government of west
copyright@upscpatrika.com
at
the 19th Century onwards with special
emphasis on their links with India, and on
the life and works of Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad.
Bengal
SCHOLARSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP DIVISION
The Scholarship and Fellowship Division of the Ministry operates the following schemes to provide monetary
assistance to individuals/organisations engaged in promoting cultural activities in the country: Scheme for Award of Scholarships to Young Artists in Different Cultural Fields – 400 scholarships
each year for a period of two years – 5000 per month – 18-25 years of age group;
 Scheme for Award of Fellowship to Outstanding Persons in the Field of Culture – 125 senior
fellowships worth 15000 per month for artists of 40 years and above age group; and 125 junior
fellowships worth 7500 per month for artists of age group 25-40 years for a period of two years
 Scheme of Financial Assistance for Seminars, Festivals and Exhibitions on Cultural Subjects of Not-forprofit organisations (Cultural Functions Grant Scheme)
 Scheme of Financial Assistance to Cultural Organizations with National Presence
 Scheme for Visiting Fellows in Art, Culture & Heritage.
National Culture Fund



Recognizing the need to introduce innovative patterns of cultural funding in India, the National
Culture Fund was set up as a trust under the Ministry of Culture in the year 1996 with a purpose to
augment governments’ efforts and to facilitate public-private partnership in the field of heritage
conservation and promotion.
National Culture Fund enables institutions and individuals to perform their rightful role in promoting
and preserving India’s rich cultural heritage.
The NCF endeavours to preserve and promote our precious tangible and intangible heritage in
partnership with the community.
copyright@upscpatrika.com