The Indus Civilization c6.14

c6.14

It is still uncertain whether the female deity represented by the pottery figurines was a virgin goddess or the consort of the god on the seal-amulets. The wife of Shiva is worshipped at the present day under many names, which include Uma, Parvati, Durga and Kali, the last two typifying the goddess in her fiercest and most awful aspect, a lover of destruction and blood. There was, and still is, however, a benevolent side to her nature in some of her manifestations, and it is most probably this kindly side which is shown in the Indus Valley figurines. As before mentioned, so many ancient religions insist that a female deity must have a spouse and a son to carry on the succession that it is not impossible that the two most important deities of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa were thus related. On the other hand, as Mr. Richards has pointed out, the Mother Goddesses of Southern India are quite independent of any consort, while Dr. Hutton states that the village goddesses of that region are only at the present time being gradually provided with husbands from the orthodox Hindu pantheon. A slight indication that the Mother Goddess of the Indus Valley was a virgin is the small size of the breasts compared with those of the more matronly female figures which are thought to have been used for votive purposes.