Group of Temples at Khajuraho

Temples of Khajuraho lie in central Indian state Madhya Pradesh. These groups of temples in Khajuraho were listed by UNESCO in 1986 in the list of world cultural heritage sites. Between the periods of 950 A.D. to 1050 A.D., this small village Khajuraho experienced an astonishing blossom of the architecture. It was the capital of the Chandela Dynasty, a warrior Rajput tribe, who fought and triumphed here and built temples for their Gods as a sign of a powerful tribe. Of the formerly 85 temples, that were constructed 1000 years ago, only 25 are maintained yet today. They belong to the artistic miracles of the world. Every temple was constructed after determined rules and was empathized at the same time with the erection of the human body.

The largest and most important temples belong to the attractively designed Western Group of Temples in the middle of a green park. All temples lie on high terraces that one climbs over a central stairway. These temples are not surrounded like otherwise in India , by a wall and are erected directly on the ground. When we approach more closely, we see that the construction of temple is decorated with erotic figures up to the last angle. The projecting corners portray nymphs, erotic women figures, Gods in cosmic evolutions, person, fear, doubt, jealousy, love and completed passion. Together they represent the finest and best out of the art of the medieval period of India .

The main temple, 31 m high, shows in three rows, in almost one-meter high figures, life around 1000 A.D. At this temple, 872 statues were counted, 226 inside and 646 outside, all are perfectly shaped.

The "cosmic energy" of the "erotic" figures.

These temples are famous because of the erotic scenes that represent scenes out of the tantra (principles of divine energy) rituals. Beside it there are also representations of battles, dances, animal fight, everyday life, pictures of Gods and fable animals, flowers and plants ornaments. The abundance and the beauty of the figures cannot be left without admiration.

In these living figures of naked women, one can imagine the observation of erotic figures during rain. The first raindrops rested on her eyelashes and fell then on her lower lip. They divided themselves on her high breasts and smoothed then over the three delicate folds on her belly until they arrived slowly in her navel.

The figures of almost naked women with luscious breasts and many stressed body roundness at belly, hips and shoulders dominate the outer wall of temples. These erotic figures hold together the sense and purpose of these temples. The women body symbolizes the cosmic feminine energy that comes in the figures through the turbulence in actions and through the rotations of the bodies for the expression and that is transmitted through its sensuality to the observer. In figures, we often see the turned back of a woman pulling a thorn out of the sole of the foot or colouring the sole with henna. The approximation of the faces of man and woman are frequently represented. A woman seeing herself in the hand mirror, one removes her suspender or garter belt, another undresses herself, one writes a letter, another conceals herself shy behind a hand.

Wide spread figures are carrying earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, belts. They are highly grown up, have narrow hips, full, high and round breasts and spindle-shaped legs that are perfectly shaped. The faces are sharply cut that indicated eyes through long, almond-shaped slits under arched eyebrows. Some of the erotic figures show group sex and even sex with animals.

In the interior of the temples, no love scenes are found. Here it concerned only the beauty of the divine energies. In the outside area, however the sensual side of the divine energy is represented. It becomes illustrated corresponding to the descriptions of the different physical unions in the "Kama-sutra" that in the 4th - 5th century composed aphorisms over the sexuality. Many positions show the union of the bodies in yoga positions. The sexual energy becomes celebrated in all its variants.