The Dancing Girl, the Priest-King, and Indus Toys

What does the Dancing Girl look like?

The Dancing Girl is one of the best known objects from the Indus Valley. It is a small figure of about four inches, found at Mohenjodaro.

The girl has long hair tied in a bun. Bangles cover her left arm. A bracelet and an amulet or bangle adorn her right arm. A cowry shell necklace hangs at her neck.

Her right hand rests on her hip. Her left hand is clasped in a traditional Indian dance gesture. The figure is full of expression and bodily vigour.

Sources (card 0): NCERT, An Introduction to Indian Art, Ch. 2 (Class 11).

How was a bronze statue made?

Harappan artists used the lost-wax technique. It worked in five steps.

• First, they made a figure in wax.
• Next, they covered the wax with a coat of clay and let it dry.
• Then they heated the clay, and the melted wax drained out through a tiny hole.
• The empty clay mould was then filled with molten metal.
• Once the metal cooled, they removed the clay cover completely.

The metal took the shape of the original wax figure. The wax is “lost” because it melts away.

Sources (card 1): NCERT, An Introduction to Indian Art, Ch. 2 (Class 11).

Were bronze statues rare?

Bronze casting was practised on a wide scale by the Harappans. It was popular at all the major centres of the civilisation.

Bronze animals include a buffalo with an uplifted head and sweeping horns, and a goat. A bronze bull comes from Kalibangan. A copper dog and a bird come from Lothal.

These works are in no way inferior to the human figures from Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Metal-casting appears to be a continuous tradition. Late sites like Daimabad in Maharashtra also gave fine metal figures.

Sources (card 2): NCERT, An Introduction to Indian Art, Ch. 2 (Class 11).

What is the Priest-King statue?

Stone statues at Harappa and Mohenjodaro are not abundant, but they are refined. Two male figures are often discussed. One is a torso in red sandstone. The other is a bust of a bearded man in soapstone.

His shawl comes under the right arm and covers the left shoulder. It is decorated with trefoil patterns.

His eyes are slightly elongated and half-closed, as in deep thought. The hair is parted in the middle. A plain woven fillet runs round the head. An armlet is worn on the right arm.

Sources (card 3): NCERT, An Introduction to Indian Art, Ch. 2 (Class 11).

Why is he called a Priest-King?

The statue was named the “priest-king” by the archaeologists. They knew the history of Mesopotamia and its priest-kings. They found parallels in the Indus region.

But we do not know whether the figure was a priest or a king. Harappan rituals are not well understood. We also cannot tell whether those who performed rituals held political power.

So the name is a modern label. The Class 6 book says it is often used, although it is not known whose figure this was.

Sources (card 4): NCERT, Themes in Indian History I, Ch. 1 (Class 12) · NCERT, Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Ch. 6 (Class 6).

Did the Harappans have a king?

Archaeologists give three different answers.

• Some say Harappan society had no rulers and everybody enjoyed equal status.
• Others say there was no single ruler but several, such as one at Mohenjodaro and another at Harappa.
• Others say there was a single state.

The third group points to similar artefacts, planned settlements and a standard brick size. They also point to settlements near sources of raw material.

Sources (card 5): NCERT, Themes in Indian History I, Ch. 1 (Class 12).

What toys did Harappan children have?

Terracotta, or baked clay, was used to make many playthings. Toy carts with wheels, whistles and rattles have been found. Clay birds and animals, gamesmen and discs were also made.

Harappans designed many games and toys to keep both adults and children amused.

A terracotta whistle about 4 cm long comes from Karanpura in Rajasthan. A gamesboard engraved on stone, about 25 cm long, comes from Dholavira.

Sources (card 6): NCERT, An Introduction to Indian Art, Ch. 2 (Class 11) · NCERT, Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Ch. 6 (Class 6).

What do toy carts tell us?

Terracotta toy models of bullock carts have been found. They suggest that carts were an important way to move goods and people over land.

So a child’s toy can show everyday technology. It also shows that wheels were familiar in Harappan life.

Sources (card 7): NCERT, Themes in Indian History I, Ch. 1 (Class 12) · NCERT, An Introduction to Indian Art, Ch. 2 (Class 11).

What are the terracotta figures like?

Terracotta figures of women are important among the Indus figures. They wear necklaces, a loin cloth and a girdle. These are called mother goddess figures.

The fan-shaped head-dress with a cup-like projection on each side is a special feature. The pellet eyes and beaked nose are very crude. The mouth is only a slit.

Some figurines show bearded males with coiled hair standing stiff and upright. Because the pose repeats exactly, this suggests that he was a deity.

Sources (card 8): NCERT, An Introduction to Indian Art, Ch. 2 (Class 11).

What do we know, and what do we only guess?

These objects teach us a lot, but only some of it is firm.

What we know is stated in the books. The Dancing Girl is bronze and about four inches high. The bearded bust is soapstone. Toy carts and whistles were made of terracotta.

• Known: the materials, the sizes and the casting method.
• Known: bronze work was done on a wide scale.
• Guess: that the bearded man was a priest or a king.
• Guess: that the bearded male figurines show a deity.

A good student keeps these two lists apart. In an exam, a safe answer states the material and the method. It does not claim who the person was.

Sources (card 9): NCERT, An Introduction to Indian Art, Ch. 2 (Class 11) · NCERT, Themes in Indian History I, Ch. 1 (Class 12).

Which material is the Dancing Girl made of?

Sources (card 10): NCERT, An Introduction to Indian Art, Ch. 2 (Class 11).