Harappan horn deity tradition: a recent finds at Bhagatrav

Abstract

Harappan horn-headed figures are reported from eleven early Harappan and Harappan sites in Sind and Punjab provinces, Gomal valley, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat, and one Neolithic site in Kashmir. Many scholars have interpreted the figures as the representation of pasupati, “Lord of Beasts” and by others as part of a hunting cult. Likewise, the gender of the figure has been a subject of discussion. Males of the simple living communities in India use identical horn-headed headgear. The discovery of a more or less similar horn-headed painted ceramic sherd from the Harappan site at Bhagatrav in Gujarat is significant. It suggests that horn-headed headgear was part of the lifeways of the entire Harappans in both time and space. Till now, what had been reported was in the form of incised seals, tablets, relief, and pre-fire painting on the outer side of the pots. The figure from Bhagatrav would appear to be that of a double-horned head and is unique for its representation on the inner side of a bichrome dish.