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| Home > Indian Sculptures > Sculptures Of The Indus Valley
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| | Sculptures Of The Indus Valley
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The sculptural history of India opens with the chapter of Indus valley. The beginning of Indian art and sculpture dates back to the Indus valley civilization. The roots of this civilization took place in the 2nd and 3rd millennium BC. The sculptures found from this period includes the tiny terra-cotta seals discovered from the valley. On these seals carvings of peepal leaves, female figurine with forms of deities and animals are pointed. All these definite & distinct shapes of stones or seals were enshrined and worshipped during that time by people of the civilization. The level of achievement that Indian art had attained in those days can be marked with mainly two objects that were excavated from the ruins of the Indus valley. These are the busts of a priest in limestone and a bronze dancing girl are known for the tremendous sophistication and artistry even today.
In fact, the people of Indus valley were great lovers of the fine arts especially of dancing, painting, and making sculptures. Various sculptures, seals, pottery, gold jewelry, terracotta figures, and other interesting works of art truly indicate about their skills. No doubt that they had fines artistic sensibilities & imagination. The most important thing is that their art is highly realistic in nature. The anatomical detail used in much of their art is unique, and in case of terracotta art the modeling of animal figures is done with extremely careful manner.
Sir John Marshall once reacted with surprise when he saw the famous Indus bronze statuette of the slender-limbed "dancing girl" in Mohenjo-daro:
"When I first saw them I found it difficult to believe that they were prehistoric; they seemed to completely upset all established ideas about early art
 Modeling such as this was unknown in the ancient world up to the Hellenistic age of Greece, and I thought, therefore, that some mistake must surely have been made; that these figures had found their way into levels some 3000 years older than those to which they properly belonged. … Now, in these statuettes, it is just this anatomical truth which is so startling; that makes us wonder whether, in this all-important matter, Greek artistry could possibly have been anticipated by the sculptors of a far-off age on the banks of the Indus."
So, the bronze, terracotta, and stone sculptures depicting various dancing poses reveal the truth about their art of dancing. Similarly, a presence of harp-like instrument on an Indus seal and also on two shell objects from Lothal, one of the cities of Indus valley confirm about the stringed musical instruments that were in use in the ancient Indus Valley civilization. This minute details force us to believe that much of the Indus art is advanced for their time period. Even the structures of the pillars were also topped, at times with decorative capitals, same as that of the famous "Lions of Sarnath" Capital.
From the artistic pieces, most striking feature of the Indus valley civilization was found that emphasis on the organization of everyday civic life.  The tiny and finely carved seals and small polished gemstones with centering drill-holes at perfect position are some of the examples among the small treasures for us. Certainly, these artifacts of that period reveal a vital data about the exquisite ability of the Indus craftsmen & sculptors. Even the jewelry made in during that time by Indus craftsmen gives detail of their perception towards the artistry. Other objects offer tantalizing if partial glimpses are given towards the daily life and beliefs of the Indus people. Among these, some of seals depicting mysterious rites; shell vessels that may have been for ritual libation are important. Similarly, the famous "Priest-king" sculpture may be depicted to denote a person of sacred and secular authority.
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