Dogri Literature

About this optional

Dogri Literature is one of the optional subjects of the UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination: the notice offers the literature of any one of a list of languages as an optional subject, and Dogri is one of them. A candidate chooses one optional subject from the Commission's list, and it is examined in two papers: Paper VI (Optional Subject Paper 1) and Paper VII (Optional Subject Paper 2) of the Main Examination. Both papers are counted for merit. See UPSC Mains: Optional Subject (two papers) for the full list of optional subjects.

• Questions are of the conventional (essay) type.
• The two papers carry 500 of the 1,750 marks of the written part; the written marks and the Personality Test (275 marks) together decide the final ranking.
• The scope of the optional papers is broadly of the honours degree level: higher than the bachelor's degree and lower than the master's degree.
• Language of answers: the syllabus says, for both papers, that answers must be written in Dogri. The notice adds, for every literature optional, that a candidate may be required to answer some or all of the questions in the language concerned, and that questions not required to be answered in a specific language are answered in the medium the candidate has chosen for the Essay, General Studies and optional papers.
• Script: the notice prescribes the Devanagari script for Dogri.
• The rule that question papers are set in Hindi and English only does not apply to the literature papers.

Paper I

The official syllabus of Dogri Literature Paper I, as printed in the notice (the Commission's own wording, spelling and numbering).

History of Dogri Language and Literature

(Answers must be written in Dogri)

Section A: History of Dogri Language

• 1. Dogri language: Origin and development through different stages.
• 2. Linguistic boundaries of Dogri and its dialects.
• 3. Characteristic features of Dogri Language.
• 4. Structure of Dogri Language:
  (a) Sound Structure:
  Segmental: Vowels and Consonants
  Non-segmental: Length, Stress, Nasalization, Tone and Junture.
  (b) Morphology of Dogri:
  (i) Inflection Categories: Gender, Number, Case, Person, Tense and Voice.
  (ii) Word Formation; use of prefixes, infixes and suffixes.
  (iii) Vocabulary: tatsam, tadbhav, foreign and regional.
  (c) Sentence Structure; Major Sentence-types and their constituents, agreement and concord in Dogri syntax.
• 5. Dogri Language and Scripts: Dogre/Dogra Akkhar, Devanagari and Persia.

Section B: History of Dogri Language

• 1. A brief account of Pre-independence Dogri Literature: Poetry & Prose.
• 2. Development of modern Dogri Poetry and main trends in Dogri Poetry.
• 3. Development of Dogri short-story, main trends and prominent short-story writers.
• 4. Development of Dogri Novel, main trends and contribution of Dogri Novelists.
• 5. Development of Dogri Drama and contribution of prominent playwrights.
• 6. Development of Dogri Prose; Essays, Memoirs and travelogues.
• 7. An introduction to Dogri Folk Literature—Folk songs, Folk tales 7 Ballads.

Paper II

The official syllabus of Dogri Literature Paper II, as printed in the notice (the Commission's own wording, spelling and numbering).

Textual Criticism of Dogri Literature

(Answers must be written in Dogri)

Section A: Poetry

• 1. Azadi Paihle Di Dogri Kavita
  The following poets:
  Devi Ditta, Lakkhu, Ganga Ram, Ramdhan, Hardutt, Pahari Gandhi Baba Kanshi Ram & Permanand Almast
• 2. Modern Dogri Poetry
  Azadi Bad Di Dogri Kavita
  The following poets:
  Kishan Smailpuri, Tara Smailpuri, Mohan Lal Sapolia, Yash Sharma, K.S. Madhukar, Padma Sachdev, Jitendra Udhampuri, Charan Singh and Prakash Premi
• 3. Sheeraza Dogri Number 102, Ghazal Ank
  The following poets:
  Ram Lal Sharma, Ved Pal Deep, N.D. Jamwal, Shiv Ram Deep, Ashwini Magotra and Virendra Kesar
• 4. Sheeraza Dogri Number 147, Ghazal Ank
  The following poets:
  R.N. Shastri, Jitendra Udhampuri, Champa Sharma and Darshan Darshi.
• 5. Ramayan (Epic) by Shambhu Nath Sharma (up to Ayodhya Kand)
• 6. Veer Gulab (Khand Kavya) by Dinoo Bhai Pant.

Section B: Prose

• 1. Ajakani Dogri Kahani
  The following Short Story Writers:
  Madan Mohan Sharma, Narendra Khajuri and B.P. Sathe
• 2. Ajakani Dogri Kahani Part-II
  The following Short Story Writers:
  Ved Rahi, Narsingh Dev Jamwal, Om Goswami, Chahttrapal, Lalit Magotra, Chaman Arora and Ratan Kesar.
• 3. Khatha Kunj Bhag II
  The following Story Writers:
  Om Vidyarthi, Champa Sharma and Krishan Sharma.
• 4. Meel Patthar (collection of short stories) by Bandhu Sharma.
• 5. Kaiddi (Novel) by Desh Bandhu Dogra Nutan.
• 6. Nanga Rukkh (Novel) by O.P. Sharma Sarathi.
• 7. Nayaan (Drama) by Mohan Singh.
• 8. Satrang (A collection of one act plays).
  The following play wrights:
  Vishwa Nath Khajuria, Ram Nath Shastri, Jitendra Sharma, Lalit Magotra and Madan Mohan Sharma.
• 9. Dogri Lalit Nibandh
  The following authors:
  Vishwa Nath Khajuria, Narayan Mishra, Balkrishan Shastri, Shiv Nath, Shyam Lal Sharma, Lakshmi Narayan, D.C. Prashant, Ved Ghai, Kunwar Viyogi.

Source: UPSC Examination Notice No. 05/2026-CSE, 4 February 2026 (Civil Services Examination, 2026), Appendix I, Section III, Part B, PDF. Last checked 11 November 2026.