Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c7.s3.1

c7.s3.1

The figure of a dancing girl in bronze found at Mohenjo-daro (height 4½") is an exquisite figure with the same sensitive feeling as seen in the two Harappa figures. Its feet and ankles are missing. (Fig. 15). The right hand rests on the hip in the *Latāhasta* or *Katyavalambita* pose. The arms are loaded with bangles which seem to be the same as *Khādayaḥ* of the RV. The head is slightly tilted, and covered with curly hair gathered at the back in a coiled knot. The eyes are large and half-closed. The pose of the long legs and the elongated arms and slender bust all suggest an exceptional mastery in capturing the livelinss and rhythm of a female dancer long practised in her art. The reference to *Nṛitu* in the RV. seems to indicate a figure of this type.