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INDUS
CIVILIZATION 2500-1500 B.C
The
beginning of stone sculpture in India goes back to a very remote
age. The excavations carried out in 1924, at the ruins of Mohenjodaro
on the Indus river and Harappa in the Punjab, brought to light
a highly developed urban civilization, archaeologically known as
the Indus Valley or Harappan Culture. It flourished from C.2500
B.C. to 1500 B.C. These ancient cities had a systematic lay-out,
wide roads, spacious houses made of bricks, and an underground
drainage system, somewhat like our own. People worshipped the Mother
Goddess or Goddess of fertility. Trade and cultural contacts existed
between these cities and those of Mesopotamia of which the evidence
is the occurrence of the seals, as well as similar carnelian beads,
knobbed pottery, etc., at both places. Clay was the earliest medium
in which man began to mould and we have discovered a large number
of terracotta figurines from these Indus Valley sites. |
Chaitya Hall, Bhaja, Maharashtra |
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Priest, Clay,
Harappa, Pakistan
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Among
the few stone figurines, a male torso of polished red lime stone
from Harappa, chiselled in the round, is remarkable for its naturalistic
pose and sophisticated modelling, highlighting its physical beauty.
This lovely figure makes one wonder how at that remote age, it
was possible for the sculptor to carve as beautifully as was done
very much later in Greece in the 5th century B.C. The head and
arms of this figure were carved separately and socketed into the
drilled holes of the torso.
Another
noteworthy example from this urban culture is the bust portrait
of a bearded nobleman or high priest, from Mohenjodaro, weaving
a shawl with trefoil pattern. It bears a close resemblance to a
similar figure discovered in the Sumerian sites of Ur and Susa.
The
figure of a male dancer belonging to the same period and discovered
at Harappa is an important carving showing how music and dance
had a great place in life almost 5000 years ago. It amply proves
the dexterity with which the sculptor 5000 years ago, could catch
beautiful movements of dance poses and express them in stone by
the graceful twist of the body from the waist upward. Unfortunately,
it is in a damaged condition, but it still reflects the great mastery
with all its vitality and grace.
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The
bronze dancing girl of the same period discovered at Mohenjodaro is
perhaps the greatest surviving achievement of the metal work of the
Harappan age. This world-famous figure shows a female dancing figure
standing as if relaxing after a dance number, with her right hand on
her hip and the left dangling free. She wears a large number of bangles,
probably made of bone or ivory on her left arm together with a couple
of pairs on her right arm.
The
statuette is a great master piece of the art of the metal craftsman
of the period who knew the art of bronze casting in the cire
perdue or lost-wax process.
This
terracotta figure representing the large sized mother goddess is
one of the best preserved and comes from Mohenjodaro. The significance
of the broad pan-like appendage on either side of the coiffure of
the goddess is not easily understood. Since she is the bestower of
fertility and prosperity, she was worshipped for this very purpose.
India is traditionally a country where more than 80 per cent of its
inhabitants are agriculturists who naturally worship gods and goddesses
of fertility and prosperity. The pinched nose and ornamentation flatly
laid on the body and pressed on to the figure and the general folk
effect in art are most interesting. The sculptor at Mohenjodaro was
adept in his art and could fashion both realistically as well as
stylistically.
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Dancing girl, Bronze, Mohen-jo-daro, Pakistan
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Bull, bronze, Mohen-jo-daro, Pakistan
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The
terracotta figure representing a bull is a forceful representation,
eloquently proclaiming the special study of the anatomy of the animal
by the modeller who fashioned the figure. The animal is shown standing
with his head turned to the right and there is a cord around the neck.
The pair
of squirrels is interesting in a very natural and characteristic fashion
seated on their haunches and nibbling at some fruit. |
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The
toy animal, with a moveable head from Mohenjodaro, belonging to the
same period i.e. 2500 B.C., is one of the most interesting objects
found during the excavations which shows how the children were kept
amused and happy with toys that they could manipulate by moving their
heads with the help of a string.
A
large number of seals have been discovered in the excavations. They
are made of steatite. terracotta and copper and are of various shapes
and sizes. Generally they are rectangular, some are circular and
few are cylindrical. Almost invariably they bear on them the representation
of a human or an animal figure and have on top an inscription in
pictographic script which has not been deciphered so far.
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Toy animal with movable head, Terracotta, Mohen-jo-daro Pakistan
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Seal : Pasupati, Stone, Mohen-jo-daro, Pakistan
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This
seal shows a seated figure of a Yogi, probably Shiva Pashupati, surrounded
by four animals - a rhino, a buffalo, an elephant and a tiger. There
are two deer shown under the throne. Pashupati means the lord of animals.
This seal may throw light on the religion of the Harappan age. Most
of these seals have a knob at the back through which runs a hole and
it is believed that they were used by different guilds or merchants
and traders for stamping purposes. When not in use they could be worn
round the neck or the arm like an amulet.
A
fine example of an animal study shows a humped Brahmini bull of great
strength and vigour. It is a great artistic achievement of that early
date. The modelling of the fleshy part of the bull's body is very
realistically depicted.
There
are small seals of intricate workmanship and of great artistic merit,
astonishing examples of the artistic skill of the sculptors. Such
exquisite works of art could not have come about overnight and clearly
suggest a long previous tradition.
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and Mohenjodaro are now in West Pakistan. About a hundred sites
of this culture, have been found in India, and a few of them excavated
so far, have disclosed that the Indus culture was spread over an
extensive area.
The
Indus civilization came to an end in about C.1500 B.C. probably
due to the Aryan invasion of India. Except for some antiquities
of the copper hoard culture and ceramics, no trace of any plastic
art is found during the next 1000 years. This may perhaps be due
to perishable materials like wood which were used in fashioning
art forms which could not withstand the rigors of time. The carvings
of flat surface, as met with at Bharhut and Sanchi, are an echo
of an earlier tradition in wood or ivory. But this intervening
period of about 1000 years is important, because it was during
this time that a synthesis took place between the fertility cults
of the Dravidians, who were the original inhabitants of India,
and the Aryan elements of rites and rituals. The Indian way of
life and thought as embodied in the earliest scriptures, the Vedas
and the Epic literature, were developed and the blending of the
Aryan gods with the more ancient Buddhism and its contemporary
religion Jainism, also made their appearance in India in the 6th
Century B.C. These faiths have much in common with each other and
represent the ascetic trend in Hindu philosophy. The teachings
of these reformed faiths by Gautama Buddha and Mahavira, had a
deep impact on the masses. It is the concept of these three religions,
which later found expression in plastic art forms.
An
these sculptures were originally parts of temples or other religious
monuments to which they belonged both aesthetically and functionally.
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Jewellery, Mohen-jo-daro, Pakistan
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Under
the aegis of Ministry
of Culture,
Government of India
15-A, Sector - 7, Pappankalan, Dwarka,
New Delhi - 110075 |
Centre for Cultural Resources and Training |
Telephone:(011)
25088638,
47151000
Fax: 91-11-25088637,
Gram: CENCULT
E-mail:- dg.ccrt@nic.in |
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