What is the term used for men and women who claim magical and healing powers, as well as an ability to communicate with the other world?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Shamans
Shamans are men and women who claim magical and healing powers and an ability to communicate with the other world. The term comes up when historians discuss Harappan religion: the figure seated cross-legged in a “yogic” posture on some seals has been called a “proto-Shiva”, but some scholars have asked whether it is a shaman instead. Altyn Depe and Uruk, in the options, are places in Central Asia and Mesopotamia shown on the map of the Harappans’ contacts with West Asia, not names for people.
NCERT (2025-26): “11.2 Problems of interpretation … 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.… Shamans are men and women who claim magical and healing powers, as well as an ability to communicate with the other world.” |