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UPSC 2022 GS-I · 15 marks · 250 words

Discuss the main contributions of Gupta period and Chola period to Indian heritage and culture.

What “Discuss” demands

present several distinct facets of the issue and connect them into an argument, giving the competing views real weight rather than one line each.

The characteristic failure: a list of points with no argument running through them.

What a top answer must contain

These are the checkable specifics from the marking standard for this question — the actual case, committee, datum or thinker, not an instruction to “give examples”.

  • Gupta: early Nagara temples (Deogarh), Sarnath Buddha idiom, Kalidasa's corpus, Aryabhata's mathematics, Nalanda's rise, die-struck coin artistry
  • Chola: Dravida climax (Brihadisvara, UNESCO), lost-wax Nataraja bronzes, temple as economic-social hub, Tamil Saiva canon
  • Institutions: Gupta Sanskrit land-grant culture vs Chola local self-government (Uttaramerur inscriptions)
  • Outward reach: Chola maritime expeditions (Srivijaya, 1025) exporting culture — heritage beyond borders

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