Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while inaugurating the International Museum Expo 2023, unveiled the exhibition's 'mascot', which was a replica of the iconic sculpture of 'Dancing Girl' from Mohenjodaro. As per the Ministry of Culture, the mascot was a "stylised and contemporarised life-size version of a five-feet tall toy in Channapatna style inspired by the Bronze Dancing Girl of the Sindhu Saraswati Sabhyata (Indus Valley Civilisation)". 


However, since the mascot  was unveiled, it has sparked a debate on social media, with several users calling it a "sanskari makeover" given by the Ministry of Culture.


What Is The Controversy?


First, to understand the controversy, we must delve into the features of the original sculpture.


The original 'Dancing Girl' of Mohenjodaro, kept at the National Museum in New Delhi, is a small 10-and-a-half centimetre long bronze figurine cast in the lost wax method. 


The figurine is a very thin young woman, standing upright with her head tilted slightly back and her left leg bent at the knee. Her right arm is bent and the hand placed on the back of the hip. Her posture led to the statue being named 'The Dancing Girl'.


The figurine is naked except for some adornments. The statue, reflecting the aesthetics of a female body during that period, has large eyes, a flat nose, curly hair, and a broad forehead. 


Believed to have been made in about 2500 BC, the statue was found in the remains of a small house in Mohenjo Daro by Indian archaeologist DR Sahni during his 1926-1927 visit to the site.


The discovery of the statue led to two important conclusions about the Indus Valley civilization --  that the people knew metal blending, casting and other sophisticated methods and entertainment, especially dance was part of their culture.


However, the replica unveiled by PM Modi has been given a pink skin tone while the original has dark skin. Moreover, the statue was seen clad in bright pink and yellow clothes -- somewhat resembling a tribal woman in a dancing pose.


The unique bent stance of the original figurine, resembling her free spirit attitude, was also missing.


Has There Been Any Previous Controversy Regarding 'The Dancing Girl'?


In 2017, a paper published in 'Itihaas', the Hindi journal of the Indian Council for Historical Research, created a row after it claimed that the figurine found at Mohenjo Daro was an image of Goddess Parvati.


The research paper, titled 'Vedic Sabhyata Ka Puratatva (Archaeology of Vedic Civilisation)', was authored by Thakur Prasad Verma, a retired professor of Banaras Hindu University. 


Verma claimed Shiva was worshipped by the inhabitants of this civilisation and the iconic bronze sculpture was the dancing form of Parvati. The author claimed that the woman's right hand was not a clenched fist but she was holding a small bowl and called it the "akshaya patra of Annapurna". 


However, it must be noted that till date, no historian or archaeologist has identified any idol or statue of Parvati in Harappan Civilisation.