Indian Terracotta Sculpture: The Early Period

The subject of this volume is the fired earthen sculpture, commonly known as terracotta, whose history goes back to the dawn of civilization on the subcontinent. The aim is to provide new material and insights into early Indian terracotta art in a chronological framework. Beginning with the prehistoric period, the first article discusses discoveries at several new Harappan sites in India excavated since 1947 and comments on the remarkable terracotta figurines unearthed at Mehrgarh in Pakistan. Although the southern peninsula cannot boast either the antiquity or the richness of the prehistoric terracotta tradition of the north, one particular region around the Nilgiris studied here has yielded clay sculptures fascinating for their abstract yet robust forms which reveal connections with earlier northern figures. The typological continuity with Harappan culture is evident from material excavated at Taxila, discussed in the next chapter. The lesser-known site of Sugh in Haryana reveals typ