In some Harappan seals, a figure seated cross-legged in a “yogic” posture, is regarded as a depiction of which deity?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Proto-Shiva
Archaeologists have tried to reconstruct Harappan religion from the seals. On some seals a figure sits cross-legged in a “yogic” posture, sometimes surrounded by animals, and it has been regarded as a depiction of “proto-Shiva”, that is, an early form of one of the major deities of Hinduism. The identification is not certain: Rudra, the Rigvedic name later used for Shiva, is described neither as lord of animals nor as a yogi, and some scholars think the figure may be a shaman.
Note: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| 20-05 S1 | 03-06 S2* | – | – | – |
* A similar question.
NCERT (2025-26): “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.… Let us look, for instance, at the ‘proto-Shiva’ seals. The earliest religious text, the Rigveda (compiled c. 1500-1000 BCE) mentions a god named Rudra, which is a name used for Shiva in later Puranic traditions (in the first millennium CE; see also Chapter 4). However, unlike Shiva, Rudra in the Rigveda is neither depicted as Pashupati (lord of animals in general and cattle in particular), nor as a yogi. In other words, this depiction does not match the description of Rudra in the Rigveda. Is this, then, possibly a shaman as some scholars have suggested?…”
Fig. 1.27 A “proto-Shiva” seal |
