Identify the correct statements regarding the “terracotta figurines of women” found at Harappan sites:
A. They were heavily jewelled.
B. Some were having elaborate head dresses.
C. They were regarded as mother goddesses.
D. They were regarded as members of the ruling citadel family.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A, B and C only
Early archaeologists thought that objects which seemed unusual or unfamiliar may have had a religious significance. The terracotta figurines of women were among them.
A. They were heavily jewelled. Correct. The figurines show women heavily jewelled.
B. Some were having elaborate head dresses. Correct. Some of them have elaborate head-dresses.
C. They were regarded as mother goddesses. Correct. Because of their unusual look, these figurines were regarded as mother goddesses. Stone statues of men seated with one hand on the knee, such as the ‘priest-king’, were classified in the same way.
D. They were regarded as members of the ruling citadel family. Incorrect. The figurines were classified as objects of worship, not as images of a ruling family. Nothing links them with the Citadel.
NCERT (2025-26): “11.2 Problems of interpretation … The problems of archaeological interpretation are perhaps most evident in attempts to reconstruct religious practices. Early archaeologists thought that certain objects which seemed unusual or unfamiliar may have had a religious significance. These included terracotta figurines of women, heavily jewelled, some with elaborate head-dresses. These were regarded as mother goddesses. Rare stone statuary of men in an almost standardised posture, seated with one hand on the knee – such as the ‘priest-king’ – was also similarly classified.…” |