"Seal inscised with a Rhinoceros" and "seal of seated Yogi surrounded by animals" is in the collection of:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 4:
The 'seal of seated Yogi surrounded by animals' is one of the most iconic and historically significant artifacts from the Indus Valley Civilisation, famously known as the Pashupati Seal. This seal, which depicts a three-faced figure seated in a yogic posture and surrounded by four wild animals—a rhinoceros, an elephant, a tiger, and a buffalo—was excavated from Mohenjo-daro. Crucially, the most important Harappan antiquities, including the Pashupati Seal and the bronze 'Dancing Girl,' were transferred to the Archaeological Survey of India's headquarters in New Delhi well before the 1947 Partition. Following the division of assets, this core collection was officially allocated to the Dominion of India and forms the foundation of the Harappan collection at the National Museum, New Delhi, where it is permanently housed and displayed. The 'Seal inscribed with a Rhinoceros' is part of the same collection of Harappan seals held by the National Museum.

The incorrect option is 1:
The Museum of Pakistan, Karachi, is incorrect because while the original excavation site of Mohenjo-daro is in the province of Sindh, which is now in Pakistan, the most pivotal and iconic finds, including the Pashupati Seal, were not kept there. These specific treasures were moved to New Delhi for a planned imperial museum long before the establishment of the modern Museum of Pakistan. The museums in Pakistan certainly hold vast and important collections of Harappan artifacts, but the seals specified in the question are not among them due to the pre-Partition administrative decisions and subsequent asset division. The National Museum, New Delhi, houses the world's most representative Harappan collection, including these particular seals.

The incorrect option is 2:
The British Museum, London, is incorrect. Although the British Museum houses a very large number of artifacts from the Indian subcontinent, including a famous unicorn seal from Harappa and a significant part of the Sir Aurel Stein Central Asian collection, the primary and most vital Harappan discoveries, such as the Pashupati Seal, remained in India. The majority of the seals excavated at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa were part of the collection held by the Archaeological Survey of India, which was divided between India and Pakistan at the time of Partition, with the Pashupati seal going to the National Museum in New Delhi.

The incorrect option is 3:
The National Museum of Pakistan, Karachi, is also incorrect for the same fundamental reason as Option 1. The National Museum of Pakistan was formally established after the assets of the Partition were divided, and the crucial artifacts in question had already been allocated to India's National Museum. While the National Museum of Pakistan has its own rich holdings of Indus Valley Civilisation artifacts, the key seals specified in the question, the Pashupati Seal and its companions, are securely held in the collection of the National Museum in New Delhi.