'Obsolete Victorian view': NCERT to restore original Mohenjodaro Dancing Girl image after controversy over forced modesty

One of India's most recognisable archaeological treasures found itself at the centre of an unexpected controversy after a modified image of the famous Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro appeared in a new NCERT textbook. The debate began when readers noticed that the bronze figurine's bare torso appeared to have been covered in the newly introduced Class 9 Arts textbook, Madhurima. The alteration sparked criticism from historians, educators, and archaeologists, who argued that the change misrepresented an important artefact of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Now, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has said it will replace the modified image with the original version.

Original image of Mohenjodaro dancing girl to be restored

Responding to questions from PTI, NCERT Director Dinesh Saklani confirmed that the image would be corrected in future editions.

The Dancing Girl, discovered at Mohenjodaro in present-day Pakistan, is one of the most iconic artefacts from the Indus Valley Civilisation. The bronze sculpture, believed to date back to around 2600 BCE, depicts a young female figure standing with one hand on her hip, her chin slightly raised and one knee bent. It is widely regarded as a remarkable example of early metal casting and artistic expression.

The textbook chapter in question introduces students to the history of Indian art and identifies the Dancing Girl as a bronze figurine produced using the lost-wax casting technique, a method still practised in parts of India today.

'An obsolete Victorian view'

The controversy gained further attention after educationist and historian Michel Danino criticised the decision to alter the image. Danino, who headed the committee that developed NCERT's new Class 6 Social Science textbooks, said he had previously been told that the figurine was considered "not age-appropriate" for younger students. He said his team disagreed with that assessment and had consulted teachers who saw no issue with the sculpture being shown in its original form.

Reacting to the altered image in the Class 9 textbook, Danino said his first response was "disbelief."

"If the Dancing Girl cannot figure as she is, and with proper dimensions, in a chapter on Indian art, then we have a serious problem," he said.

He also argued that modifying historical artefacts creates a misleading representation of the past. He noted that the "notion that nudity is inappropriate is, in my opinion, an obsolete Victorian view". Comparing the change to the addition of a fig leaf to Michelangelo's David, Danino said such alterations distort the original work and undermine historical understanding. "The modification misrepresents the original artefact just as the Church's addition of a fig leaf to Michelangelo's statue of David in the Middle Ages misrepresented that beautiful work of art," he said.