🎨 Chapter 01 · Topic 03 · Visual Arts

Harappan Seals & Indus Script

Steatite seals, major motifs (unicorn, Pashupati, humped bull), Indus script characteristics, trade use, and significance — complete UPSC & PSC notes.

🔖 Harappan Seals — Overview

Seals are among the most distinctive and important artefacts of the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC)
Over 2,000 seals have been discovered from various IVC sites
Most seals are made of steatite (soapstone) — a soft stone that was carved and then fired to harden
Typical size: 2.5 × 2.5 cm (square); some are rectangular or cylindrical
Each seal has a boss (knob) on the back with a hole for threading — used as a stamp or worn as an amulet
Used for trade and commerce — stamping goods, identifying merchants, marking ownership
Also found in Mesopotamia — evidence of long-distance trade between IVC and Mesopotamia

🦄 Major Motifs on Harappan Seals

Motif	Description	Significance
Unicorn	Single-horned animal (possibly a bull in profile); most common motif; shown with a ritual object in front	Most frequently depicted animal; possibly a totem or religious symbol; found at Mohenjo-daro, Harappa
Pashupati Seal	Three-faced figure seated in yogic posture; surrounded by animals (elephant, tiger, rhino, buffalo); two deer below the throne	Possibly proto-Shiva; “Lord of Animals”; evidence of early Shaivism; found at Mohenjo-daro
Humped Bull (Zebu)	Short-horned humped bull; depicted with great naturalism	Sacred animal; possibly associated with fertility or religious ritual
Elephant	Depicted with great detail; sometimes with a rider	Common motif; evidence of elephant domestication
Tiger	Depicted in profile; sometimes with a human figure	Symbol of power; associated with forest/wild
Rhinoceros	Single-horned rhino; depicted naturalistically	Evidence of rhino presence in IVC region
Composite animals	Mythical creatures combining features of different animals	Evidence of mythological imagination

⭐ Pashupati Seal: Discovered at Mohenjo-daro by John Marshall in 1928. Shows a three-faced (or possibly horned) figure seated in a yogic posture (mulabandhasana) on a throne. Surrounded by four animals — elephant, tiger, rhinoceros, and buffalo. Two deer appear below the throne. Marshall interpreted this as a proto-Shiva figure — “Pashupati” (Lord of Animals). This is one of the most debated artefacts of the IVC — some scholars dispute the Shiva interpretation.

✍️ Indus Script

The Indus script appears on seals, pottery, copper tablets, and other objects
About 400–600 distinct signs have been identified
Written from right to left (boustrophedon in some cases)
Pictographic/logographic in nature — signs represent objects or concepts
The script remains undeciphered — one of the great mysteries of archaeology
Reasons for non-decipherment: no bilingual inscription (like Rosetta Stone); short texts; unknown underlying language
Various theories: Dravidian language, Indo-Aryan, Munda, or an unknown language
The longest known Indus inscription has only about 26 signs

📌 Other IVC Art Objects: Beyond seals, the IVC produced: (1) Bronze dancing girl (Mohenjo-daro) — a masterpiece of lost-wax casting; depicts a young girl in a confident pose; (2) Priest-King sculpture (Mohenjo-daro) — steatite bust with trefoil robe; (3) Copper/bronze figurines — animals and humans; (4) Faience objects — beads, bangles, amulets; (5) Pottery — wheel-made, red ware with black painted designs.

✅ Revision Checklist — Harappan Seals

✅ 2,000+ seals discovered from IVC sites
✅ Material = steatite (soapstone); fired to harden; size ~2.5 × 2.5 cm
✅ Used for trade, stamping goods, identifying merchants
✅ Found in Mesopotamia = evidence of long-distance trade
✅ Unicorn = most common motif on seals
✅ Pashupati Seal = Mohenjo-daro = three-faced yogic figure + 4 animals = proto-Shiva
✅ Humped bull (zebu) = second most common motif
✅ Indus script = 400–600 signs = right to left = undeciphered
✅ No bilingual inscription = main reason script undeciphered
✅ Bronze dancing girl = Mohenjo-daro = lost-wax casting
✅ Priest-King sculpture = Mohenjo-daro = steatite bust