The Khajuraho Temples

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the abundant erotic sculptures that adorn and embellish the twenty surviving temples of Khajuraho, which have fascinated scholars. In particular, the paper investigates the purpose for these voluminous, yet extremely refined and well sculpted, displays of the various Mithuna and more conspicuously the Maithuna couples, which are present not only on the outer walls of the complicated temple structures but also inside the temple space itself. The paper dismisses the notion of this erotic imagery simply being a public display of a private act but rather hypothesizes that the sculptures were used as part of the temples' architecture because they represent certain religious and cultural beliefs and practices, thus enhancing the worship of the respective deities.

From the Paper:

"In the case of Khajuraho the temples were commissioned by the Chandela kings as well as falling under royal patronage. The courtly spaces were becoming increasingly as sacred as the temple space itself. Thus the Brahmin class had to be constantly appeased and in such a bid was granted vast areas of land as dana. After the coming of castes into the societies, the kings had to keep the Brahmins happy as they were the only connection between them and the Gods in an inverted sense. To establish their divine genealogy they needed somebody to affirm their status. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Gods, Guardians and lovers. Ed. Vishakha N. Desai & Darielle Mason; The Asia Society Galleries, NY & Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad.
• Desai, Devangana. Erotic Sculptures of India. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 1985
• Gregory D. Alles. A fitting Approach to God: on entering the western temples at Khajuraho; University of Chicago Press, 1993.

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