Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c7.s4: Terracotta Figurines

Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c7.s4

Language: English

Terracotta Figurines

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They are made of solid clay, of red colour well kneaded, bearing a red wash or slip, sometimes showing a polish. The figurines are of two classes, human and animal, the former also divided into male and female types. The number of female figurines is much in excess to that of the male.

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The male figures are marked by a long nose, beardless chin, receding forehead, long slit eyes, appliqué mouths gashed, crudely modelled bust, pointing to an indifferent interest of the modeller in the making of such figures which may have been either secular or religious types. There is a horned figure and some horned masks, cast in a mould with oblique eyes which may have been used for apotropaic purposes to ward off evil (*Arakṣārtha*). The use of mould howsoever limited is noteworthy. A Janus-like (*ubhayataḥ śīrṣṇa*) figure was pressed from a double mould. The idea is known in the Rigveda mentioning a two-headed Supreme Deity (*Dviśīrṣā mahodeva*, RV. IV. 58.3). Although the material is limited the ethnic character is emphasised as in the case of a man, found by Wheeler in 1950 on the Granary Site of Mohenjo-daro, its skull cap and sturdy built with the usual features of the long nose and receding forehead treated in one line seem to establish a definite type in the population probably of the peasantry.

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FEMALE FIGURES—The female figurines in clay are much more impressive. They are heavily adorned with ornaments. In the case of the figure Dk 2384 found at Mohenjo-daro, on the head is a high fan-like projection which may be identified with *Opaśa* mentioned in the Rigveda as the mark of a beautiful woman, secured at its base by a flat band or fillet with pendant loop near the right ear. The braided locks (*Kaparda* of the Rigveda) and the ear-pendants are also indicated. In some other cases the ears have a conical cup or pannier on each side which may be the *Kurīra* of the Rigveda. Actual specimens of a cone and of fillets in gold have been found. Besides armlets (*Khādi*) the most elaborate ornaments are worn round the throat in the form of a tight choker and five other necklaces with schematic arrangement one within the other descending from the shoulders and touching the girdle below (a similar torso found by Mackay, pl. LXXV, 17). Four of the necklaces have elongated bead-pendants and the fifth, the longest, is stamped with rosettes marking it out as a lotus garland either real or imitated in gold. The wide triple girdle (*mekhalā*) with a buckle device to secure it on the front emphasises the feminine character of the figure. The portion below the thighs is missing. The pubic triangle is over-emphasised but actual nudity is not indicated. The eyes are indicated by round pellets, the nose is long and straight in a line with the forehead and the mouth is an appliqué strip of clay with a horizontal slit. The breasts are prominent swelling on the two sides of the necklaces. There is no doubt that much thought has gone into the ornamentation of the figure and the whole atmosphere round it is that of a deity. [Fig. 16]. Another example is a complete standing figure wearing the same ornaments but with pannier-like projections (*Kurīra*) on the two sides of the head, but having undigitated hands and feet. [Fig. 17]. If we compare these with the earliest mother goddess figurines from Mathura and Taxila [Fig. 18 a-b] firm links as to the same ideal type are present in these proto-historic and early historic female figurines. She seems to represent the Great Mother Goddess, *Mahī Mātā* (RV. V. 47. 1). Her worship not only in India but also in the ancient-most Iran prevailed. As a Goddess for the Asuras the Vedic and early literature speaks of her as *Māyā*, and for the gods as the divine mother Aditi (*Deva-Mātā*). Later in classical times she gave place to *Śrī* with a revised interpretation, being treated both as an independent goddess and the consort of Vishnu. In the Indus Valley figurines we occasionally find an infant at her breast or on the hip pointing to her motherhood aspect. The notion of fertility finds support in one specimen showing pregnancy. On a seal from Harappa a woman is represented with a plant coming out of her womb, a flamboyant symbol of fertility. The female figurines are generally undraped but in a couple of cases they wear a kilt-like skirt made of wool closely resembling the *kaunakes* worn by the early Sumerians and the proto-Elamites of Susa. There are some secular figurines also showing women kneading dough or holding a dish of cakes.

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Fig. 12

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Fig. 13

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Fig. 14

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Fig. 15

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Fig. 16

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Fig. 17

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Fig. 18a

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Fig. 19

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Fig. 18b

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Fig. 22

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Fig. 23

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The cult of the goddess occupied an important place in the life of the people. The uniformity of style, similarity of ornamentation and the wide area over which they were spread forces the conclusion that these were religious figures related to cult worship of the goddess. The area of distribution of such female figures is not limited to the Indus Valley and Baluchistan but extends to Persia, Elam, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Crete, Cypress, Egypt, and the Agean world. In these civilisations we find an overwhelming consciousness in favour of the Feminine whether the Goddess is named Isis, Innini (Lady of Heaven), Ishtar, Anahita or Aditi ('मातरमदिति महीम्', VS. 18. 30). She was the Great Female, identified in some cultures with the Earth Mother, as surely in India. It may be mentioned here that the one important tradition which the Indus Valley people transmitted to their successors is the wide spread cult of the Mother Goddess in the form of Śakti, Devī, Mātā, Bhūmi (Hindi, Bhuiyān, भुइयां), the Village Deity (Grāma-Devatā) par excellence, all exemplifying the Magna Mater. The figurines from Harappa and Mohenjo-daro are generally of a benevolent goddess, but the reverse of it is seen in the grim figurines from Kulli having a terrifying skull-like aspect. They could not have been toys for children but a mother Goddess like Kālī or Caṇḍikā of later times.

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Nearly three-fourths of the clay-figurines represent animals specially humped bulls (*Kakudmant vṛṣabha*). Cows are never represented. The other animals are elephant, rhinoceros, pig, monkey, goat, sheep, turtle and birds etc. One specimen from a late level at Mohenjo-daro seems to be that of a horse but so indifferently made as to be doubtful. Some bull figurines are of high aesthetic quality comparable to those on the seals showing the great strength of the animal in the developed muscles, hump, strong neck, dewlap, frowning eyes and head. [Fig. 19].

Linked texts (2)

Ṛgvedasaṃhitā — Sanskrit
Vājasaneyisaṃhitā — Sanskrit