Madhurima Class 9 Chapter 1, History of Arts, opens NCERT’s new arts textbook for 2026-27. Madhurima covers theatre, music, dance and the visual arts, and this first chapter gives them a shared timeline: the techniques and styles of the arts in India from 50,000 BCE to the living traditions of today.
What Madhurima Chapter 1 Covers
Introduction to the History of Arts explains our cultural heritage, the purpose of the arts, and how knowledge passed down as śhruti and smṛiti kept traditions alive.
Four periods follow artefacts, texts and monuments through 50,000 BCE–4000 BCE, 4000 BCE–500 BCE, 500 BCE–600 CE and 600 CE–1200 CE. Along the way the chapter quotes a Sanskrit verse written with only the consonant n, and the dance verse ‘yato hastas tato dṛiṣhṭiḥ’ (where the hand goes, the eyes follow).
Living Traditions closes with art forms still practised today.
Why a shared history: ancient Indian texts speak of 64 kalās, arts and skills for the all-round development of a person, from painting, music, dance and drama to crafts and literature. The chapter begins with the rock paintings of the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh, which show performers and instruments, and shows how ideas travelled across regions, as in the apsarās carved at Angkor Wat. Between 600 and 1200 CE both rock-cut and structural temples were richly carved.
Read Madhurima Class 9 Chapter 1 Online
More Chapters
- Next: Chapter 2: The Stage Is Yours
- All Art chapters and the other Class 9 books: Class 9 NCERT books 2026-27
FAQ
What is Madhurima?
NCERT’s Class 9 arts textbook from 2026-27, with chapters on the history of arts, theatre, music, dance and visual arts.
Which periods does Madhurima Chapter 1 cover?
50,000 BCE to 4000 BCE, 4000 BCE to 500 BCE, 500 BCE to 600 CE, and 600 CE to 1200 CE, followed by living traditions.
What are the 64 kalās?
The 64 arts and skills described in ancient Indian texts for the holistic development of a person.