2. Playing on musical instruments 3. Dancing
4. Union of dancing, singing, and playing instrumental music 5. Writing and drawing
6. Tattooing
7. Arraying and adorning an idol with rice and flowers
8. Spreading and arranging beds or couches of flowers, or flowers upon the ground 9. Coloring the teeth, garments, hair, nails and bodies, i.e. staining, dyeing, coloring and grooming
10. Fixing stained glass into a floor
11. The art of making beds, and spreading out carpets and cushions for reclining 12. Playing on musical glasses filled with water
13. Storing and accumulating water in aqueducts, cisterns and reservoirs 14. Picture making, trimming and decorating
15. Stringing of rosaries, necklaces, garlands and wreaths
16. Binding of turbans and chaplets, and making crests and top-knots of flowers
17. Scenic representations, stage playing Art of making ear ornaments Art of preparing perfumes and odors 18. Proper disposition of jewels and decorations, and adornment in dress
19. Magic or sorcery 20. Quickness of hand or manual skill 21. Culinary arts -- cooking and arrangement of food
22. Making lemonades, sherbets, acidulated drinks, and spirituous extracts with proper flavor and color 23. Tailor's work and sewing
24. Making parrots, flowers, tufts, tassels, bunches, bosses, knobs, etc., out of yarn or thread 25. Solution of riddles, enigmas, covert speeches, verbal puzzles and enigmatical questions
26.
Playing the game of Antakshari 27. The art of mimicry or imitation 28. Reading, including chanting and intoning29. Study of sentences difficult to pronounce. It is played as a game chiefly by women, and children and consists of a difficult sentence being given, and when repeated quickly, the words are often transposed or badly pronounced 30. Practice with sword, single stick, quarter staff and bow and arrow
31. Drawing inferences, reasoning or inferring 32. Carpentry, or the work of a carpenter 33. Understanding of architecture, or the art of building 34. Knowledge about gold and silver coins, and jewels and gems
35. Knowledge of chemistry and mineralogy 36. Coloring jewels, gems and beads 37. Knowledge of mines and quarries
38. Gardening; knowledge of treating the diseases of trees and plants, of nourishing them, and determining their ages 39. Art of cock fighting, quail fighting and ram fighting
40. Art of teaching parrots and starlings to speak
41. Art of applying perfumed ointments to the body, and of dressing the hair with unguents and perfumes and braiding it 42. The art of understanding writing in encrypted script, and the writing of words in a peculiar way
43. The art of speaking by changing the forms of words. It is of various kinds. Some speak by changing the beginning and end of words, others by adding unnecessary letters between every syllable of a word, and so on 44. Knowledge of language and of the vernacular dialects
45. Art of making flower carriages
46. Art of framing mystical diagrams, of addressing spells and charms, and binding armlets
47. Mental exercises, such as completing stanzas or verses on receiving a part of them; or supplying one, two or three lines when the remaining lines are given indiscriminately from different verses, so as to make the whole an entire verse with regard to its meaning; or arranging the words of a verse written irregularly by separating the vowels from the consonants, or leaving them out altogether; or putting into verse or prose sentences represented by signs or
symbols. There are many other such exercises.
48. Composing poems
49. Knowledge of dictionaries and vocabularies
50. Knowledge of ways of changing and disguising the appearance of persons
51. Knowledge of the art of changing the appearance of things, such as making cotton to appear as silk, coarse and common things to appear as fine and good
52. Knowledge of human anatomy and art of making love.
53. Various ways of gambling
54. Art of obtaining possession of the property of others by means of mantras or incantations 55. Skill in youthful sports
56. Knowledge of the rules of society, and of how to pay respect and compliments to others 57. Knowledge of the art of war, of arms, of armies, etc.
58. Knowledge of gymnastics
59. Art of knowing the character of a man from his features 60. Knowledge of scanning or constructing verses
61. Arithmetical recreations 62. Making artificial flowers 63. Making figures and images in clay 64. Art of massages and spiritual healing
>
The Kamasutra Ancient Revels
A Group Sex Scene Depicted in Ancient Sculpture Dubella Museum, Dubella
See also:
Indian Group Sex, How to Fit Four on a Single Bed, Genius Art Erotica, Medieval Sculpture Depicting Group Sex
The Kamasutra .
The Erotic Arts of India
"Let Praise be Given to God that He has created Woman"
The Kamasutra Painting Inspired by Kamasutra
Islamic Kamasutra (?)
Painting shows couple in Islamic attire and features engaged in coitus. It is unlikely that such paintings are based on actual models, and experts typically attribute them to artist's imagination.
The Kamasutra Art Inspired by Kamasutra
Man uses his Phallus to beat the drum!
Scuplture from Bagali shows woman dancing to his tune
See also:
Man in Heat, Who Said Bigger is Better?!, The Phallus: Facts and Fallacies, The Phallus: Fallacies and Fantasies, The Phallus - Facts and Fallacies
The Kamasutra Kamasutra Positions
Woman Hanging on to her Lover Detail from a wall painting, Tumkur
See also:
The Swastika Position, Kamasutra Positions
The Kamasutra Kitchen Kamasutra
Sex in the Kitchen!
In this sculpture the artist has depicted a couple in coitus even as the woman is engaged with kitchen utensils.
See also:
Everyday in the Kamat Kitchen, The Indian Kitchen, Community Cooking for an Auspicious Occasion, Woman Operates a Addoli (Stationary Knife)
The Kamasutra Acrobatic Sex Position
"Practice Yoga and Excel at Sex"
Vatsyayana recommends physical excerise and Yoga to become a good lover
The Kamasutra Erotic Sculptures of Nad-Kalse
Old Fashioned Sex
About 500 years old sculpture from Nad-kalase in rural India
See also:
Woman Performing Fellatio
>
The Kamasutra
Position Sixty Nine
The Mutually Reciprocal Position Erotic temple sculpture from Ballegavi
The Kamasutra
Art Inspired by Kamasutra
Monkey Kamasutra
Detail from a sculpted pillar, Sravanabelagola
The Kamasutra
Erotic Paintings
Love, like liquor, intoxicates!
Illustration from Telugu text Ragamalika
The Kamasutra Love Knot Position
The Love Knot
Stone sculpture at the village of Induru, North Kanara
The Kamasutra Dating the Period of Vatsyayana
According to Richard Burton, the 1883 translator of Kamasutra, it is almost impossible to fix the exact date either of the life of Vatsyayana or of his work. Different experts have provided dates ranging from first century and sixth century A.D.
Vatsyayana mentions that Satakarni Satavahana, a king of Kuntala kingdom (see Satavahanas), killed Malayevati, his wife with an instrument called kartari by striking her in the passion of love, and Vatsyayana quotes this case to warn people of the danger arising from some old customs of striking women when under the influence of passion. This king of Kuntal is believed to have lived and reigned during the first century A.D., and consequently Vatsyayana must have lived after
him. On the other hand, Virahamihira, in the eighteenth chapter of his "Brihatsanhita" (treats of the science of love), appears to have borrowed largely from Vatsyayana on the subject. Now Virahamihira is said to have lived during the sixth century A.D., and as Vatsyayana must have written his works previously, therefore not earlier than the first century A.D., and not later than the sixth century A.D., must be considered as the approximate date of his existence.
The art forms inspired by Kamasutra that you see in this section at Kamat's Potpourri are spread from tenth century A.D. to twentieth century.
Erotic Arts of India
An Introduction to the Erotic Arts of India
Introduction
The year 1999 marked a great symbolic step in the history of the erotic arts of India. Two thousand years ago, sage Vatsyayana wrote his landmark manuscript, the Kamasutra (erotic codes). One thousand years later, the Chandella kings (950-1050 A.D.) built one of the finest groups of temples in India, depicting erotic positions, at their capital Khajuraho. About five centuries later, king Kallarasa of Karnataka wrote an important treatise on the subject, "Janavashya" (1450 A.D.) in
Kannada. In today's fast changing world, the values and sanctity attached to erotica and eroticism have also changed. Therefore, it has become necessary to re-evaluate the Erotic Arts of India in their true perspective.
Numerous writers, both Indian and foreign, have published their works on eroticism, mostly to feed the curiosity of westerners. In my decades of work on the subject, I have not come across a single book or paper that tried to study the topic without prejudice or without giving it a pornographic perspective. India thus lost immensely, through a wishful undermining of her history and art. This is an humble attempt to share my first-hand research and information about ancient erotic
art and literature of India.
"We will study the Erotic Arts of India in Paintings, Wood Carvings and Sculptures"
To appreciate the erotic arts of India, one must understand the role of sex in the scheme of things according to Hinduism. Hinduism is a way of life according to prescribed codes. Every Hindu has to undergo sixteen denotary rituals (samskara) and four stages of life (ashramas). The final aim of life is salvation, which is the merging of the individual soul (atma) with the supreme soul (paramatma). One can attain salvation (moksha) through dharma, artha and kama. The ancient
Indians took a healthy, integrated view of all aspects of life and gave sex its due importance in the overall picture. The pursuit of pleasure (kama) is one of the important aims of life, on the path to deliverance.
Loving couple (Mithuna) – Sculpture from Jinannathapura
Figures of loving couples (mithuna) in various art forms can be found in the very early periods of Indian civilization. This theme has been depicted consistently for thousands of years throughout India. Such sculpture can be found on the shrines of Buddhist, Jain, Vaishnava, Shaiva, Shakti, and also other cults, which proves its trans-religious nature. Mithuna is like any other life process and hence no taboo or inhibitions are attached to it. The worship of genitalia has been
prevalent for centuries and it is considered a part and parcel of Hindu worship.
" This is an humble attempt to share my first hand research and information about ancient erotic arts of India"
Sources of Erotic Art
The Erotic arts of India have been studied here primarily in three forms:
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Paintings: Due to their delicate nature, only a few paintings survived the onslaught of time and climatic hazards. The Narasimha Swamy temple of Sibi has such rare wall-paintings. In the last century, the kings of Mysore brought out some books of great importance, which are profusely illustrated with erotic art. Ancient books such as "Sougandhikaparinaya"
and "Shritatwanidhi" contain illustrations (example) which are indirect and suggestive, and yet very modest. Indian miniatures such as Basholi, Kangra and Rajasthani styles have produced innumerable erotic paintings to cater to their rich
clientele.
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Wood Carvings: Many temples in India celebrate an annual chariot-festival (Rathotsava). The chariot (which is really a mobile temple) is specially built with hard woods such as teak, and innumerable panels depicting mythological themes are
carved around the chariot (Ratha). Occasionally, the panels contain astonishingly explicit erotic carvings.
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Sculptures: The sculptural wealth has remained intact for centuries in spite of vandalism and mutilation by religious fanatics. The erotic sculptures of Khajuraho (in Madhya Pradesh) and Bhubaneshwar (Orissa) have been widely publicized, while others are almost unknown. In Karnataka State alone, there are a large number of such temples and
sculptures, which will be studied individually.
Important Note
An important meaning of Kama (kaa-ma, from Sanskrit) is sensuous love, or an emotional feeling of attachment. In ancient Indian thought, it is recognized as the stimulus of action and personified as the god of erotic love (Kamadeva). In the Gita, as in Buddhism, it is the source of attachment to the world and the great impediment to spiritual freedom. For lack of a better word in English, I have used the term erotica to represent Kama, although erotica may essentially connote
arousal.
Next: The Beauty of Khajuraho Temples
See also:
Beauty of Khajuraho Temples by K.L. Kamat
First Online: August 15,1997 Page Last Updated: September 07,2008
The Chandela temples of Khajuraho in central India built in the tenth century A.D. Contain stunningly explicit sexual sculptures. We continue our eye opening series on the Erotic Arts of India with Kamat's commentary on the sculptures.
- Ed.
Erotic sculptures of Khajuraho
Expectations of Khajuraho
Just like people's perception of Taj Mahal changes after seeing it in reality, the feeling one gets at the Khajuraho temples is totally different from one's expectation. The beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and the same object may appear differently to different people. A maiden may appear as a mother to Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, as a sister to Swamy Vivekananda, as a daughter to an elderly person and as a lover to a romantic. I was interested in finding out what most people felt about these erotic sculptures, and observed them from a vantage point in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. As they rested under a tree, a Tamilian couple regretted having come all the way and having ignored their own temples. A Bengali couple complained about the tourism brochure they had seen to take this trip. Apparently the brochure had close-ups of only the best sculptures. A Maharashtrian family seemed to think that the higher they went, the better the
sculptures, and spent most of their time climbing up and down.
A well-equipped frequenter of horse races pulled out his binoculars but was disappointed that the additional lens did not help improve the visual quality of the sculpture. A family man from Andhra spent all his time attending to his young children and eating the food that his wife distributed, as if the sculptures did not matter. The leader of a gang of youngsters, to preempt the disappointments of his friends, explained, "Our ancestors were very virile; they had to have sex several
times a night. If they couldn't find many women they enjoyed the same partner in several positions. These sculptures were erected for their benefit."
A Frenchman and his daughter looked as if they were solving a mysterious problem and analyzed every sculpture in the ultimate detail. Sometimes they argued before agreeing. A newly wed American couple wondered about the advances the Indians had made in the 10th century. The young man must have whispered "Just as we tried the Indian curry, why not try an Indian position?" The couple laughed naughtily and went on to the next temple.
Hundreds of others came, saw the sculptures, passed their own judgments, and left. But none seemed to be excited by looking at them. They all seemed disappointed that the eroticism they had expected was missing. Travel brochures and exaggerated publicity are responsible for this. The travel guides too seemed to exaggerate the sculpture and regularly cooked up stories in order to extract tips. No wonder that those who come here expecting a Las Vegas will be disappointed, because there is only pure beauty and no perversion in these temples. Creations such as a cabaret or pornography, which are designed to excite human sexuality, are absent here. Even the magnetism of a curvaceous female body is missing from
these sculptures. Just as we do not think of sex when seeing the image of a half clad Laxmi (a.k.a. Lakshmi ) or Saraswati (Hindu deities), we cannot think of sex at these temples.
Eternal Lovers, Khajuraho
Why Erotica in Temples?
There are different opinions on why temples were decorated with sexually explicit sculptures. One group argues that the old kings lived in obscene luxury and that they used these for excitement. Another group thinks that it was part of sexual education in ancient India: since most people visited temples, it was an appropriate place for mass communication. Some scholars say that since Hinduism believes in the efficacy of all four paths to Moksha (Dharma, Artha, Yoga, and Kama),
these sculptures were provided to assist in the last of these four paths. Since these sculptures are limited to the outer walls of the temples, some people interpret them as a symbolic gate to reaching God. It is possible that at the time just preceding the construction of these sculptures, monastic Buddhism was prevalent, people were losing interest in the householder-life, and the temples were built to attract people to sex and family life and to renew Hinduism.
Some others go to the extent of saying that the Khajuraho temples themselves are built upon the model of an ultimate seductress. The steps are like the feet, the Ardhmandapam are the knees, the Mandapam represents the curvaceous thighs, the sanctum-sanctorum is like the ovaries, and since it is very dark where the Linga is installed, it represents the sexual organ, etc. For a long time, the pundits have wondered why it was necessary to decorate a place of worship with sexual
material, but if one observes the materialistic (Loukika) thoughts of Hinduism, there is nothing unnatural about them.
Why Not?
How can the Indians criticize the Mithuna (mating) sculptures while worshiping Mahadev (Shiva) as a symbol of male and female organs? "All of life is God's magic;" we are all parts of divinity; our scriptures argue that to attain moksha, and to dedicate ourselves to dharma and adhyatma, we should first experience sexual fulfillment. The one who wrote the Kamasutra was none less than a sage! When the Gods themselves cannot escape the web of erotic love (Kama), what about us mere mortals? We have saints and mystic figures (Purana-Purusha) who have sinned, we have sages who have abandoned their years of renouncement for a beautiful woman, we have deities who have slept with others' wives, we have those who have fathered deer, we have those who have made love to and deceived even the Sun God, and we certainly have those who have conceived before marriage. If one were to make a list of these incidents that appear in Hindu scriptures, one
could put western societies to shame. If one concedes that sex is an important and integral part of life, mortals must experience it completely. Only perversions are excluded.
Sculpted Temple Panel, Khajuraho
Not all nations can have the same laws or customs about sexual behavior. What is considered natural in one may be prohibited in another. In the same country, what is considered perversion may eventually become to be acceptable. In India we consider kissing as a sexual act whereas in western countries it is a symbol of affection and is used just like a handshake. In America, most parts of society and the government do not object to exposing the body, except for the private parts. In
England and France, nude dancing in theaters is a popular art form. In Scandinavian countries there is no restriction on nudity and their girls provide all the poses required by all of Europe. A Portuguese president and a Spanish president banned sexual magazines and pictures in order to make their citizens more "civil." It is said that after they died, the prevalence of pornographic literature skyrocketed in the two countries! In England where they once punished a scholar such as
Oscar Wilde for homosexuality, the practice is legal today (1997). In the holy land of India, where it was once thought that embryo-homicide (bhroona-hatya) was a great crime, today it is a legal process, rewarded by the government. How
Oscar Wilde for homosexuality, the practice is legal today (1997). In the holy land of India, where it was once thought that embryo-homicide (bhroona-hatya) was a great crime, today it is a legal process, rewarded by the government. How