This striking young lady is pre-Indian, pre-Ashokan, and highly provocative. Is this really a dancing pose? It looks more like a girl lounging around bored. Frankly, because she wears lots of jewelry but nothing to conceal her vulva, I think she’s a devadasi, a “slave girl of the gods,” a temple prostitute. She appears to have held something in her left hand, long lost, and lounges with one hand on hip, heavy eyes lidded, with thick lips and a broad nose. Maybe she’s ancient Dravidian, or maybe North African by geneology. Her lanky limbs suggest she is very young, barely nubile, especially since the loving attention given to big breasts in India isn’t expressed here.
I find her more than a little heartbreaking. She was the first inspiration for Sutanuka.