📘 Question (IAS Prelims 2025 | GS-I)

The famous female figurine known as the ‘Dancing Girl’, found at Mohenjo-daro, is made of:

(a) Carnelian
(b) Clay
(c) Bronze
(d) Gold

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✅ Correct Answer

(c) Bronze

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🎯 Theme of the Question

Ancient India | Indus Valley Civilization | Art and culture | Metallurgy

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🧠 Classroom Explanation

The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro is one of the most iconic artefacts of the Indus Valley Civilization. UPSC uses this question to test whether aspirants can connect material culture with technological capability and artistic expression.

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🕺 Key Details of the Dancing Girl

• Site of discovery: Mohenjo-daro
• Period: around 2500 BCE
• Height: about 4 inches
• Material: Bronze

The figurine reflects the advanced metallurgical skills and refined artistic sensibility of the Harappans.

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🎭 Distinctive Features of the Figurine

• One hand resting on the hip
• Other arm adorned with bangles
• Confident posture and natural stance
• Suggests movement, rhythm, and self-assurance

The figure is not a religious idol, but a representation of everyday cultural expression, possibly dance, highlighting the secular nature of Harappan art.

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🔥 Metallurgical Technique: Lost-Wax Casting

The Dancing Girl was created using the lost-wax casting technique, which involves:

• Preparing a wax model
• Covering it with clay
• Heating to melt the wax
• Pouring molten bronze into the cavity

This demonstrates:

• Knowledge of alloying (copper + tin)
• Advanced metal-casting techniques
• Integration of art and science

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🎨 Cultural and Artistic Significance

Harappan art was not confined to ritual or religion. It shows:

• Emphasis on the human form
• Attention to movement and posture
• Use of ornamentation

This indicates the presence of dance, music, and aesthetic appreciation, reflecting a secular, urban, and cultured society.

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❌ UPSC Trap Alert

• Carnelian → used mainly for beads
• Clay → terracotta figurines exist, but not the Dancing Girl
• Gold → used for ornaments, not statues

👉 Dancing Girl = Bronze + Lost-wax casting

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🧩 One-Line Ready Recall

Dancing Girl → Mohenjo-daro → Bronze → Lost-wax technique → Harappan metallurgy

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🧠 Prelims Strategy Insight

When UPSC asks about artefacts:

• Identify the site
• Recall the material
• Link it with the technology used

Artefact-based questions often test technology + culture together.