BANASTHALI VIDYAPITH

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND INDIAN CULTURE

FOUNDATION COURSE- HANDOUT

Course No. & Title: BVF Indian Cultural Heritage

Course in Charge: Ms. Pratishtha Pathik
Timetable: B.A. I semester Section B, Wednesday-Thursday, 1:05 pm-2:00 pm,
Venue: Room No. 217.
Contact Hours: Wednesday - Monday 11-12 am, Vigyan Mandir, Room No. 09.

Course Objective:

This foundation course aims to create an interest in the first year degree students about:

 India’s history, heritage, culture, arts, religion, philosophy, language, science and
spirituality looking at it broadly belonging to ancient, medieval and modern time periods.
 Diversity of India and the underlying unity in it; and the influence of Indian literature and
philosophy on culture of India.
 the process of infusion into and integration of elements from other cultures in Indian
culture

Recommended Readings:

1. Basham, A.L.(2004).The Wonder that was India: 1.England: Picador.

2. Bhattacharya, Haridas (ed).Cultural Heritage of India (in 5 Vol.).Calcutta: Sri
Ram Krishna Mission,.
3. Agrawal, Hansraj, Gaur, Manoharlal. Humari sabhyata Aur vigyan kala. Delhi:
Bhartiya Sahitya Mandir.
4. Chandra, Bipan., India’s Struggle for Independence 1857-1947, New Delhi:
Penguin Publishers, 2016.
5. Chandra, Satish. (2007). A History of Medieval India. New Delhi: Orient
Blackswan.
6. Habib, Irfan. (2017). Indian Nationalism: Essential Writings. New Delhi: Aleph
Book Compan,.
7. Kabir, Humayun (1947).Our Heritage, Bombay.
8. Nehru, J.L. (2001). Hindustan ki kahani, Sasta Sahitya Mandal Prakashan,. (Hindi)
9. Nehru, J.L. (1981).The Discovery of India, J.L. Nehru Memorial Fund, Oxford
University Press.
10. Pandey, Rajendra, Bharat ka Sanskritik Itihas, Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan,
Lucknow, 2002.
11. Pande, Susmita (1989). Medieval Bhakti Movement: its History and philosophy,
Kusumawali Prakashan, Meerut.
12. Dinkar, Ramdhari Singh (1956). Sanskriti ke Char Adhyay, Allahabad: Lok Bharti
Prakashan,.
13. Raza, M. (1961). Introducing India. Aligarh: Aligarh Muslim University.
14. Sen, Amartya.(2005). The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History,
Culture and Identity, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
15. Basham, A.L. (2012). A Cultural History of India. New Delhi: Oxford university
press.
16. Shree Arvind . (1968). Bhartiya sanskriti ke Aadhar. Pondichery: Shree Arvind
Society.
17. Pande, Dr. Ram. (2015). Composite Culture of India. Jaipur: Shodhak.
18. Agrawal, Dr. Vasudevsharan. (2003). Kala Aur Sanskriti. Illahabad: Sahitya
Bhavan.
19. Hussain, S. Abid. (1978). The National Culture Of India. New Delhi: National
Book Trust.
20. Bhandari, N.K. (2007). Cultural heritage of India. Jaipur: Aaavishkar Publishers.
21. Meena, Renu, Makkad Suman. (2013). Bhartiya sanskriti: Chintan evam Vichar
dhara. Jaipur: Raj Publishing House.
22. Kumar, Shashiprabha. (1996). Bhartiya Sanskriti: Vividh Aayam. Delhi:
Vidyanidhi Parkashan.
23. Om Prakash. (2004). Cultural History of India. New Delhi: New Age
International.
24. Bhargava, V.S. (1975). Bhartiya Sabhyata Evam Sanskriti ka Itihas. Jaipur:
Rajasthan Prakashan.
25. Raman, Varadaraja V. (1989) Glimses of Indian Heritage. Bombay: Popular
Prakashan.
26. Agrawal, R.C., Bhatnagar, Mahesh. (2016). Cobnstitutional Development and
national movement of India. Delhi: S. Chand. Also in Hindi.
27. Gupta, Ramnarain. (1980). Indian Constitution and civic life. Allahabad: Kitab
Mahal. Also in Hindi.
28. Rajopalachari, C. Dashrath nandan Shriram.
29. Agnihotri, Prabhudayal. (2000). Pracheen Bhartiya sanskriti aur samaj. Delhi:
Eastern Book Linkers.
30. Gupta, Rameshwar. (1958). Bhartiya sanskriti. Delhi: Meharchand Laxmandas.
31. Venkatateshwara, S. V. (1980). Indian Culture through the ages; Educattion and
the propagation of Culture. New delhi: Cosmo Publications.
 32. Chand, M. S. (1986). Bharat ka sanskritik Itihas.

33. Rahman, Abdur (1984). Science and Technology in Indian Culture. New Delhi:
National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies.
34. Shastri, Diwakar (2008). The Art Of Living. Sasta Sahitya Mandal Prakashan. (Also in
Hindi, entitled as Gita ka Nitishastra)
35. Gandhi, M. K.(1906). Hind Swarajya. (Also in Hindi).
Suggested References :
 Chatursen, Acharya. (1958). Bhartiya sanskriti ka Itihas. Meerut: Rastogi and company.
 Thapar, Romila.(2003). Early India- From the Origins to 1300 AD, USA: University of
California Press.
 Rao, P. Raghunadhan, Indian Heritage & Culture, Stitling Publication, New Delhi, 1988. (Online)
 Singh, L.K., Indian Cultural Heritage Perspective for Tourism, Isha Book, Delhi, 2008. (Online)

Suggested E-Resources:

 World Heritage Sites, Culture and Heritage, in ‘Know India’, An Initiative under
india.gov.in, http://knowindia.gov.in/culture-and-heritage/
 Gaur, Ramesh.C., Development of Digital Repository of Indian Cultural Heritage
Initiatives at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, Art Documentation: Journal of
the Art Libraries Society of North America, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Fall 2011), pp. 56-62 (7
pages), Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Art Libraries
Society of North Society, https://www.jstor.org/stable/41244066
 Sharma, Narinder., Heritage of Indian Culture,
https://archive.org/details/HeritageOfIndianCulture
 Sri Aurobindo., Foundations of Indian Culture, New York: The Sri Aurobindo Library,
1953, https://archive.org/details/FoundationsOfIndianCultureAurobindo/page/n5

Lecture No Topics to be covered Recommended books

1 Introduction R. 8, 9, 15.
2-3 Cultural Heritage: Its R. 1, 2, 7, 13, 20, 25.
Constituents and
Significance

4-5 Plurality of Cultures: R. 3,7,8,9, 13,15, 17, 19, 22,

Unity in Diversity 23.
5-6 Influence of Bhagvad Gita R. 16, 22,25, 28, 34.
and Ramayan on Indian
culture: Formation of Self
and Social Values

6-7 Contribution of Buddhism R. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15,

& Jainism: Ethics in 19, 23.
Human Life

7-8 Indigenous Knowledge R. 3, 15, 25, 29, 30, 31,33.

System: Contributions to
Education and Science

9-11 Development of R.3,10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17,

Composite Culture: Indo- 19, 20, 21, 23,24, 32.
Islamic Art, Bhakti and
Sufism

11-13 Interaction between Indian R.11, 14, 15, 19, 23, 32.
and Western Cultures:
Education and Society

14-15 Gandhi's views on Non- R.24, 32, 35.

violence and Social
Issues

16-17 The Popular Culture: R. 1, 20, 23,25, 29

Food, Sports and Festivals

18-20 The Making of Greater R. 3, 29,30, 31.

India: Expansion of
Culture beyond
Boundaries
21-22 Constitutional Provisions R. 13, 26, 27.
for Sustenance of Cultural
Values
23-24 Conservation of Heritage: R.13, 22.
Issues and Measures

L.No. 25 Revision R. 1-15.

Learning Outcomes:
After the completion of the course, students will be able to:
 Comprehend the importance of Culture as a specific field of heritage studies.
 Differentiate between the ‘material’ and ‘non-material’ aspects of cultural heritage.
 Recognize heritage as a ‘process’ as well as a ‘product’ of human activities.
 Appreciate the expansion and sustenance of Indian cultural heritage.

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT:
The following components will constitute the continuous assessment:
Component Weight age Schedule Syllabus
Assignment 10 Marks First Week of August Covering the syllabus
Class Test 10 Marks First week of October
Note: The problems related to assignment will be discussed in the class and need to be submitted
within the above time given.

Prof. Preeti Sharma Ms. Pratishtha Pathik

(Course Coordinator) (Course Incharge)