Architecture & Sculptures

GS Paper: GS Paper I | Subject: Art & Culture | Last updated: 2026-06-04

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Prelims

(Key facts, data, schemes, laws, organizations — MCQ-ready points)

Mohenjo-daro 'Dancing Girl' — NCERT to Restore Original (The Hindu, 16-06-2026)

• NCERT will restore the original image of the "Dancing Girl" in its Class 9 Arts textbook (Madhurima), after criticism that the artefact had been depicted "clothed" (its bare torso shaded over)
• Dancing Girl: a ~10.5 cm bronze figurine from Mohenjo-daro (Indus Valley Civilisation, ~2500 BCE), cast by the lost-wax (cire-perdue) technique — among the IVC's most iconic artefacts (housed in the National Museum, New Delhi)

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Mains

(Analysis, dimensions, significance, critique, policy angles — for 10/15 mark answers)

Representing Heritage Faithfully (The Hindu, 16-06-2026)

• Altering an artefact's depiction in a textbook raises questions of historical authenticity vs present-day sensibilities; faithful representation matters for public understanding of the Indus Valley Civilisation and the integrity of art education
• UPSC angle: Indus Valley art (bronze sculpture, lost-wax casting), NCERT curriculum & historiography, heritage representation