Consider the following statements regarding the identification of proto-Shiva, a figure represented on Harappan seals.
A. It is shown in the form of Gajapati.
B. It is shown seated in a Yogic posture.
C. It is surrounded sometimes by animals.
D. It is shown with a female figure identifiable with Parvati.
E. It is shown in a laughing posture.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → B, C only
A. It is shown in the form of Gajapati. Incorrect. The figure is not shown in any such form. Gajapati is the name of the rulers of Orissa who competed with the Vijayanagara kings, many centuries after the Harappans.
B. It is shown seated in a Yogic posture. Correct. On some seals a figure is shown seated cross-legged in a “yogic” posture, and this figure has been regarded as a depiction of “proto-Shiva”.
C. It is surrounded sometimes by animals. Correct. The same figure is sometimes surrounded by animals.
D. It is shown with a female figure identifiable with Parvati. Incorrect. The proto-Shiva figure is a single seated figure; it is not shown with a female figure.
E. It is shown in a laughing posture. Incorrect. Its posture is the cross-legged, yogic one, not a laughing one.
NCERT (2026-27): “11.2 Problems of interpretation … Attempts have also been made to reconstruct religious beliefs and practices by examining seals, some of which seem to depict ritual scenes. Others, with plant motifs, are thought to indicate nature worship. Some animals – such as the one-horned animal, often called the ‘unicorn’ – depicted on seals seem to be mythical, composite creatures. In some seals, a figure shown seated cross-legged in a ‘yogic’ posture, sometimes surrounded by animals, has been regarded as a depiction of ‘proto-Shiva’, that is, an early form of one of the major deities of Hinduism. Besides, conical stone objects have been classified as lingas.…” |