King Priest; Indus Civilization; Archaeological Heritage of Pakistan

The Priest King, also known as the King Priest, is a notable male sculpture hewn from steatite discovered during the excavation of Mohenjo-Daro in Sindh, Pakistan in the 1920s. Dated to around 2000 to 1900 BCE, this masterpiece from Mohenjo-Daro's late period is considered the most renowned stone sculpture of the Indus Valley civilization. Though incomplete and broken off at the bottom, it is a testament to the sculpture's extraordinary craftsmanship, who artfully blended naturalistic details with stylized forms to create an imposing image that appears larger than its actual size. The figure is clad in a cloak with intricate trefoil, single-circle, and double-circle motifs, with traces of red visible, and wears an armband. While the figure's eyes may have been inlaid, a filet around his head and a neatly trimmed beard complete his look. The Priest King is highly regarded and a symbol of the Indus Valley civilization, with the exception of the Pashupati seal. The Priest King's designation as a Priest King is speculative and lacks a foundation. Ernest J. H. McKay, the archaeologist who led the excavations, believed that it was possibly a priest, while Sir John Marshall, head of the Pre-Partition Archaeological Survey of India, believed it was a king-priest. The term, Priest King, was first used by Sir Mortimer Wheeler, Marshall's successor. Alternatively, some scholars suggest that the figure represents a clan leader or ancestral figure. The National Museum of Pakistan houses the original sculpture, while a replica is on public display. The sculpture is revered as a national symbol, and its preservation is of utmost importance. Therefore, the original is kept secure and out of harm's way. In Urdu, the title used by the museum, Hakim Aala, is a widely known phrase that means a sovereign or bishop entitled to sit in a state chair on ceremonial occasions, rather than an exact translation of, king-priest.