In its latest paper, The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) has claimed that the iconic 'Dancing Girl' figuring of Mohenjodaro from 2500 BC is Hindu Goddess Parvati, reports Indian Express.
The report has been published in ICHR's Hindi journal Itihaas.
This claim that the 'Dancing girl' is Parvati has been made for the first time. Supriya Verma, historian and Jawaharlal Nehru University professor told Express, "Till date, no archaeologist has ever interpreted the 'Dancing Girl' as a goddess, let alone Parvati. This particular artefact has always been seen as the sculpture of a young girl."
Thakur Prasad Verma, a retired professor of Banaras Hindu University, in his research paper, argued that several artefacts excavated from Mohenjodaro point to Shiva worship in those times.
Verma claimed that the "Dancing Girl" has to be Parvati because "where there is Shiva, there should be Shakti", a manifestation of the Goddess.
But this isn't the first time right-wing historians have said that the Hindu god Shiva was worshipped by citizens of the Indus Valley civilisation.
The ICHR paper also notes that several artefacts have been found among the ruins of the civilisation that prove that its citizens worshipped Lord Shiva. The author says that the "Seal 420" which shows a horned figure sitting in yogic posture surrounded by animals is also an evidence of Lord Shiva worship.
While some historians support this theory, others have contended that the seal shows a woman, not a man.
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