Chapter –2

Notes on art of Indus Valley civilization

Describe art of Indus Valley civilization.

Charles Masson, a solder and explorer from East India Company first discovered the ruins of
Harappa in 1842. Sir Alexander Cunningham who later became the Director General of
Archeological survey of Northern India published the first seal in 1856.
This civilization is called Indus valley civilization because it was mostly concentrated on the
banks of the river Indus. The site also takes its name from a modern village called Harappa
located near the former course of the Ravi River. The most important cities of this culture are
Harappa and Mohenjodaro (meaning Mounds of the dead) district Larkana which are situated in
the present-day Pakistan. There are a few surrounding sites too which are in bordering parts of
India as follows: Roopnagar in Punjab, Lothal, Rangpur and DholVira (Kutch district) in
Gujarat, Kalibangan in Rajasthan, Alamgirpur, a village near Meerut in U.P., Banawali, it is in
Fatehabad, Haryana.
One of the major achievements of this civilization was the urban civic planning. Their houses,
drainage system public baths, markets etc were remarkable, people used to make Terracotta
figures, sculptures, seals, ornaments and pottery with fine aesthetic sensibility and clear
imagination. It all things collected in National Museum, New Delhi.
The utensils have been decorated with images of gods, goddesses, women figure and geometrical
patterns. Some design made with lines, angles, circles, arcs and with leaves and flowers in black
ink. Beads made of terracotta and some beautifully decorated birds were also found. Even
skeletons of some animals such as dog, cow, cat, deer, rabbits, sheep and bulls of two types
(With hump and without hump) were found. Decorated seals were also excavated with mostly
religious images carved on them. Some golden and silver ornaments like nose pin, bangles, ear
rings, armlet, bracelets etc., are also seen in the finding. Toys like a jumping monkey and a cart
of clay without wheel have also been excavated and many other things of daily use were also
found.
The Indus Valley Civilization had made great advances in metal sculptures mainly bronze using
a fascinating technique known as the lost wax process.

Describe the sculpture of Mother Goddess of Mohenjodaro.

Sculpture of Mother Goddess is collected in National museum, New Delhi, size 22x8x5xcms,
period of 2500 B.C. from Mohenjodaro. It is one of the best preserved, large sized terracotta
images representing the Mother Goddess. The significance of the broad, pan like attachments
on both sides of the hairdo of the head of the goddess is quite unique. The pinched nose and
ornamentation are flatly laid on the body and pressed on to the figure. She is wearing just a loin
cloth with a girdle; Eyes are small balls (pellet) of clay.
The sculpture of Mother Goddess and various other mother goddesses were worshipped as the
givers of fertility and prosperity. She is perhaps the prototype of a crude idol of one such
goddess.
Describe the sculpture of Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro.
This is one of the greatest achievements of the artist of Mohanjodaro as the master of
miniature. The bronze statue of the dancing girl made in 2500 B.C. and it is 4.1 inches high. And
yet it is speaking volumes of a metal caster’s excellent skills. This word-famous figure shows a
female figure standing in a tribhanga poses as if relaxing after a dancing number, with her right
hand resting on her hip and the left entirely covered with bangles resting on her left leg
forward. Head is slightly tilted and hair tightened with a ribbon upon shoulder. Eyes are closed;
neck is decorated with a cowry shell necklace, curved waist and bare groin. The female figure of
this civilization is believed to be devoted to the power of fertility of women. It is collected in
National Museum, New Delhi.

Describe the sculpture of Male Torso of Harappa.

Male Torso is an impressive example of stone carving and handling of three-dimensional
volumes at Harappa in size of 9.2 x 5.8 x 3 cms. nearly five thousand year (2500 B.C.) ago. The
sculpture shows a muscular and robust male in absolutely realistic human details. The chest
and stomach are given a perfect shape, giving a feeling of breath in the rounded belly. There is
a hole at the neck wherein the single head or multiple heads could have been attached. The
study of body shows the mastery of the sculptor in using this medium.
There is a theory that the figure may have had several heads and arms, because the pose of the
figure is identical to the pose of Shiva. It is collected in National Museum, New Delhi.

Describe the Bull seal of Mohenjodaro.

The Bull seal is a low relief square seal of a humped bull with engravings on top in a
pictographic script made in 2500 B.C. of white stone/steatite in size of 2.5 x 2.5 x1.4 cms.
It is a fine example of animal study showing great strength and vigor of this bovine animal.
Although the iconography cannot be properly identified, it is likely that this popular cattle-motif
is related to the significance of the bull as a fertility and lunar symbol in ancient Mesopotamia.
The embossed body of the bull is strong with wide curved large horns and a dominant hump;
the folds of skin hanging from the neck are incised realistically. The bull is perhaps a prototype
of the Shiva’s bull- Nandi.
Seals are another significant aspect of the Indus art and craft. They were produced for mainly
commercially purpose.

Describe the painted earthen wave (Jar) of Mohenjodaro.

In the excavated remains of the Indus Valley civilization, plain pottery is more commonly found
than the painted ones. Rare pieces of pottery painted in several colours have also been found.
This big jar was used as a storage jar for grains in Harappan and Mohanjodaro period. This jar is
made of potter’s wheel with skilled hands. After baking it has been painted and decorated with
lines, angles, circles and arcs. Mostly the design has been drawn with black colour on terracotta
utensils and the smoothened by rubbing. The shiny coating of Harappan pottery is the earliest
example of its kind in the ancient world. It is strange that the material they used at that time
was of such great quality that even after thousands of years, the shine on them is still intact.