NCERT to Restore Original ‘Dancing Girl’ of Mohenjo-daro in Class IX Textbooks

NCERT has decided to restore the original image of the iconic Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro in its new Class IX arts education textbook after a review by its textbook development committee.

on Jun 16, 2026

The original Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro bronze sculpture, an iconic artefact of the Indus Valley Civilization.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has taken the decision to replace the edited image of the famous dancing girl statue from Mohenjo-daro in its latest publication of Class IX arts textbook.

Sources revealed that the decision was taken after reviewing the matter with the Department of Arts Education and the textbook committee. The edited image will be immediately replaced in the online version of the book, and also in future print versions.

Revision to the Image of an Iconic Artefact

One of the most recognizable artefacts of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization is the Dancing Girl, a bronze statuette excavated from the archaeological site of Mohenjo-daro.
In the latest book of arts education class 9th named Madhurima, the image of the dancing girl statue was edited, which included darkening her bare body. The change created a lot of discussion among the public on how such historical figures were depicted in school textbooks.
This revision came to light after media reports on the issue were brought to the notice of the NCERT arts education experts and the textbook committee.

Rationale for Returning to the Original Artistic Depiction

As a result of its evaluation of the case, the review board came to the conclusion that it should return to the original depiction of the sculpted image.
According to officials, the newly restored depiction would feature on the digital versions of the book available on the internet instantly, while further printings of the book would also feature the original depiction.
This decision shows the readiness of NCERT to re-evaluate their earlier decisions with regard to how the depiction of historically important artefacts was made.

Importance of the Dancing Girl

Being more than 4,000 years old, the Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro is considered one of the masterpieces of ancient metallurgy and art in India. The bronze statuette symbolizes the level of cultural advancement in the Indus Valley civilization.
The artefact is used quite often as an illustration in scholarly literature and other sources.

Heritage and Representation of History in Education

Discussion around the image has also raised concerns about representation of historical objects within school textbooks. With the changes that are being made in the educational institutions following the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Curriculum Framework, maintaining the balance between accuracy of history and educational factors is important in developing textbooks.
Restoration of the original image emphasizes the importance of maintaining authenticity and accuracy in regard to heritage and archeology when exposing children to India’s ancient art.