After criticism, NCERT to restore original 'Dancing Girl' image in school textbook

📌 Summary:

• The NCERT will replace a modified (clothed) image of the iconic "Dancing Girl" figurine of Mohenjo-daro in its Class 9 Arts textbook with the original version, after criticism over the altered depiction
• The controversy arose over how one of the most recognisable artefacts of the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) was represented in school textbooks
• The "Dancing Girl" is a small (~10.5 cm) bronze statuette made using the lost-wax (cire perdue) casting technique, reflecting advanced IVC metallurgy and artistic skill
• The episode reflects recurring debates over textbook content revision and the depiction of cultural heritage

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS1 (Art & Culture / Ancient History) — Indus Valley art and metallurgy; debates on textbook revision (governance/education angle)

📝 Prelims Facts:

• The "Dancing Girl" is a bronze figurine discovered at Mohenjo-daro (1926), now housed in the National Museum, New Delhi
• It was made by the lost-wax (cire perdue) technique, evidence of advanced IVC bronze-casting
• Mohenjo-daro is on the Indus river in present-day Sindh, Pakistan; the IVC is also called the Harappan Civilisation
• Another famous Mohenjo-daro artefact is the "Priest-King" steatite bust

🔑 Key Term: Lost-wax (cire perdue) technique — an ancient metal-casting method, used for the Dancing Girl, in which a wax model is encased in clay, melted out, and replaced with molten metal