Research Paper In ICHR Journal Says Dancing Girl Of Mohenjo Daro Is Goddess Parvati

The claims of Lord Shiva being worshipped by the Indus people and having a Vedic identity has been a topic of much interest for the right-leaning historians

Outlook Web Bureau

Updated on: 26 December 2016 4:38 pm

A research published in the Hindi journal of the Indian Council Of Historical Research (ICHR) claims that the much-famed Dancing Girl of Mohenjo Daro is Parvati and that the Indus Valley residents worshipped Lord Shiva.

A report in The Indian Express says that the research is titled ‘Vedic Sabhyata Ka Puratatva’ and been published in Itihaas. The author, Thakur Prasad Verma is a retired professor formerly associated with the Banaras Hindu University.

The latest issue of Itihaas was released earlier this month and it is the first one since ICHR chairman Y.S. Rao took up the post. Rao’s appointment had been the subject of much controversy for lack of academic credentials, including work in peer-reviewed publications – which ensures credibility.

In a piece, noted historian Romila Thapar wrote: “The two issues that he has highlighted in his statement to the press as the agenda for his chairmanship are also prominent in the Hindutva view of Indian history. One is that of proving the historicity of texts such the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and establishing the dates of the texts and their central event."

The claims of Lord Shiva being worshipped by the Indus people and having a Vedic identity has been a topic of much interest for the right-leaning historians though this claim by Verma is the first to identify the over 4000-year-old sculpture as such.

The newspaper says that the research mentions that several artifacts recovered from the period point to an evidence of Shiva worship during the period. Verma says that the famous ‘Seal 420’ which has a horned figure sitting in a yogi’s posture and surrounded by animals is a strong indication that the god was worshipped by the people. The identity of the figure in the seal has been the subject of many debates among historians.

To further his argument Verma is also said to claim that the tree-foil pattern on the shawl of the ‘Priest King’, another iconic sculpture, are similar to the Vilva or Bilva leaves used in Shiva worship. Verma then goes on claim, reportedly, that all of that meant that the Dancing Girl is Parvati since: “where there is Shiva, there should be Shakti”. He mentions that a manifestation of the Goddess needs to exist in the scenario.