New Delhi: A 4,500-year-old bronze figurine that has appeared nude in Indian school textbooks for nearly three decades was digitally altered in NCERT’s newly released Class 9 arts textbook, its torso shaded over to give the impression it is clothed.
Hours later, the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) replaced it with the original image after the matter was brought to their attention.
“As soon as the issue came to notice, the concerned department was directed to look into the matter. Following consultations with experts, the department is replacing the image of the Dancing Girl with its original version. The correction is being implemented immediately in the digital version of the textbook, while the revised print editions will carry the original version of the image,” said NCERT Director Dinesh Saklani.
Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro
The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro, one of the most recognisable artefacts of the Indus Valley Civilisation, features in the opening chapter of Madhurima, a new arts education textbook for Class 9. In the version printed in the book, the figurine’s body from the shoulders down has been darkened, concealing anatomical details that have never been obscured in previous editions.
The original statuette, just 10.5 cm tall, nude except for bangles and a necklace, has been housed at the National Museum in New Delhi since Partition and is considered a landmark of ancient Indian art.
Its altered depiction in an art education textbook has drawn sharp attention, particularly given the book’s stated purpose of integrating arts into mainstream schooling under the National Education Policy (NEP).
NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani said there was no specific reason for the change when asked whether nudity concerns drove the decision. An official from the body said the matter had been referred to the textbook development team, and noted that the same figurine appears unaltered in the Grade 6 Social Science textbook.
The move has also revived memories of a similar episode in 2023, when a life-sized replica of the Dancing Girl was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the official mascot of the International Museum Expo. That installation drew criticism after it was found to have been dressed, a departure from the artefact’s historical form that commentators described as historically indefensible.
Historian Michel Danino, who led the development committee for NCERT’s Class 6 Social Science books, had previously revealed that NCERT raised objections to featuring the Dancing Girl prominently because of her nudity. According to The Indian Express, Danino said he challenged the position, arguing that if the image was unsuitable for students, the same students should arguably be barred from the National Museum where the original is on permanent display. He ultimately agreed to move the image away from the chapter opener and reduce its size.
Textbooks for Classes 1 to 9 under the new arts series have been released so far.
