Skip to main content

Primary sourceSculptureMauryan period, 1st century BCE

Woman with a Headdress

Mauryan period, 1st century BCE

A terracotta relief of a woman from the Mauryan period, showing the art and culture of the era Chandragupta Maurya's empire shaped.

This terracotta relief comes from the Mauryan period, the era of the empire Chandragupta Maurya founded.

Ask Chandragupta Maurya about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Photo of a fragmentary reddish-brown terracotta relief showing a standing female figure in high relief with an elaborate headdress, the head and upper body partly worn away, set against a plain grey background.
Woman with a Headdress, Mathura, Mauryan period, 1st century BCE. Art Institute of Chicago.

About this source

What it is

This is a fragmentary terracotta relief from Mathura, India, dated to the Mauryan period, around the 1st century BCE. It shows a standing female figure in high relief wearing an elaborate headdress, though much of the head and upper body has worn away. It is held by the Art Institute of Chicago.

Why it matters

This object was made from molded red micaceous clay typical of the region. While it does not depict Chandragupta Maurya directly, it comes from the broader Mauryan period and offers insight into the art, fashion, and craftsmanship of the empire he founded.

Look closer

  • What does the headdress suggest about status or fashion in Mauryan society?
  • Why do you think only part of the figure survived?
  • How might an object like this help historians understand daily life, even without a written record?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Chandragupta Maurya on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Chandragupta Maurya sources

Meet the AI Chandragupta Maurya →
Book

Secondary source

Arthashastra

Chanakya (traditional attribution) · c. 1st–3rd century CE (traditionally attributed to Chanakya, c. 300 BCE)

Photo of a large, smooth, rounded granite boulder with a pitted, weathered surface, taken indoors under a pale arched ceiling. A small arched window is visible at the left edge. Faint marks and textured areas are visible on the rock, but the text is not clearly legible.Document

Secondary source

Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman

Rudradaman I (commissioner) · shortly after 150 CE

Title page of the Hindi book Mudrarakshas, a political drama by Bharatendu Harishchandra, translated from Vishakhadatta's Sanskrit play. Printed text in Devanagari with ornamental dividers, a publisher line, and a registration note at top reading Registered under Act X of 1847.Book

Secondary source

Mudrarakshasa

Vishakhadatta · between the 4th and 8th century CE

Photograph of an inscribed dark plate with light-colored carved symbols: at top, a sprouting plant, two domed structures with columns, a standing figure, and a gridded box. Below are four rows of unfamiliar angular script characters.Document

Primary source

Sohgaura Copper Plate Inscription

3rd century BCE

A dark stone wall covered with rows of small carved relief panels showing human figures in various scenes, set into square recesses. A black sign above in English, Hindi and Kannada reads 'Inscription of the incoming of Shrutkevali Bhadrabahu Swami and Samrat Chandragupta'.Document

Secondary source

Shravanabelagola Inscription of Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Chandragupta Maurya now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions