NationalTuesday, 16 June 2026·The Hindu - National
NCERT to restore original Dancing Girl image in Class 9 Arts textbook
NCERT will replace the altered Dancing Girl image in its Class 9 Arts textbook with the original Mohenjo-daro figurine image.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In June 2026, NCERT said it would restore the original image of the Mohenjo-daro Dancing Girl in its Class 9 Arts textbook after criticism over the modified depiction in the chapter on Indian art.
Key specifics
- The figurine is identified as the Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro, a bronze artefact from around 2600 BCE.
- The image appears in the opening chapter, “History of Arts,” of NCERT’s new Class 9 Arts textbook, Madhurima.
- NCERT Director Dinesh Saklani confirmed that the original version would replace the retouched image.
- The textbook says the figurine was made using the lost-wax technique, and it describes one knee bent, one hand on the waist and a slightly lifted chin.
- The same akimbo posture was noted on at least two potsherds from the Harappan site of Bhirrana in Rajasthan.
Exam lens
Question type: Ancient history and textbook revision, Mohenjo-daro, 2600 BCE, lost-wax technique, Bhirrana in Rajasthan. TNPSC may ask the civilisation, artefact name and the textbook class in which it appears.