Since ancient times, the cultures of the peoples of the East and West have developed almost opposite points of view on sex, eroticism, and carnal relations. The Christian religion allowed intercourse between a man and a woman, primarily for the sake of procreation. Sexual pleasure, starting from a kiss on the lips, was considered base, sinful, dirty. But the ideal, sublime, platonic love was highly exalted. We see a completely different attitude towards carnal pleasures in the East and in Asia.
East is a delicate matter
It seems that we will not be mistaken in asserting that India is a temple of love in the broad sense of the word. After all, it was not somewhere else, namely in this country, that they came up with the Kama Sutra, which has become an unsurpassed textbook of sex life and the ability to give mutual pleasure to partners. And remember the amazing collection of fairy tales "A Thousand and One Nights!" The sources of most of the erotic stories depicted in it are taken from Indian and Arabic folklore. Moreover, most of the philosophical teachings from antiquity to the present day, like ancient religious movements, elevated physical proximity to the rank of a cult. The culture of sex, the culture of interpersonal relationships - all this was highly developed in the East Asian ethnic group. A great example of this is India. “Temple of Love” - the Hindus called the human body poetically, and sexual games were perceived as almost a sacred act, pleasing to the supreme deities.
"Books of the art of love"
No, this is not about samples of printing products, even ancient ones. This is the generalized name of temples, the foundation and walls of which are decorated with very, very immodest bas-reliefs and statues. Their plots are varied, but are devoted to the general theme: "India is the temple of love." Young people who have reached puberty, before marriage and in the first months after its conclusion, were strongly recommended to visit such buildings, carefully study and even discuss images in order to apply the proposed variety of poses. This was the special wisdom of the ancients: having improved their sexual technique, spouses will not be able to bother each other, their life will be more harmonious, joyful, and therefore pleasing to God! Therefore, modern tourists, expressing their enthusiastic impressions, have said many times that India is the temple of earthly love in comparison with other states of the peninsula. The atmosphere of eroticism, sensuality and passion saturates the whole space near numerous religious buildings.
A pearl in the heart of the jungle
Today, the largest and most popular of the almost pornographic works of ancient architects is the complex of buildings in Khajuraho. In fact, it is a huge Indian temple of love in the open air, built hundreds of centuries ago. At one time, it numbered 58 magnificent buildings, but only 22 were preserved in its almost original form. There are rarities in the middle of the jungle - tropical forests engulfed the city when it was abandoned by people. Due to this, most likely, the temples were not destroyed - first by Muslim conquerors, then by other aggressors, of whom there were many on long-suffering Indian soil. The jungle has guarded its treasure for centuries, and only in the first half of the 19th century the city was discovered by a British engineer. For almost two centuries,
archaeological excavations have been carried out in Khajuraho
, many objects have been restored,
restoration work is underway on others
.Myths and legends
How did this unique city - the temple of love? The approximate time of construction of buildings is from 950 to 1050 years of our era, during the rule of the Rajputs - the famous princely dynasty that ruled the state of Chandell. The city of Kajuraho was its religious center. However, there is nothing particularly remarkable in this, if not for the story of how and thanks to which the city was built. More precisely, why this amazing complex appeared - the temple of love in India, the photo of which is decorated with the most tempting avenues with tourist tickets and projects. And in all, as usual, female beauty and male impatience are to blame! Once Kojuraho was an ordinary Indian city. But there lived a girl in her, whose beauty was worthy of the goddesses themselves. Her name was Emavati, and she was the daughter of a Brahmin - a representative of the highest spiritual caste in India. One night, a girl bathed in a river, and her young perfect nudity inflamed the moon so much that he could not resist and seduced the lady. In due time, Emavati gave birth to a pretty little boy. But extramarital affairs and children are a crime against morality in the eyes of society, then the West and the East are the same prejudices and laws! From the shame and anger of relatives, the young mother fled to the jungle, where she raised her son, teaching him all the worldly wisdom. A half-man demigod, he grew up as a powerful warrior and became the founder of the very Chandell dynasty that glorified its state.
Poem in stone
How is the Khajuraho Temple of Love connected with all this, photos of which are presented to your attention? Directly! Singing the strength and depth of sensual passions, the feminine beauty and grandeur of love in all its manifestations, the son of Emavati laid the foundation for the construction of the temple ensemble. His work was continued by descendants, because all religious buildings belong to different religions and are dedicated to various Indian gods - Shiva, Vishnu, Jaina and others, however, the unity of theme and composition suggests that it is a single whole. Spectators contemplating this real wonder of the world are amazed by many things: various subjects in which everyday scenes, episodes of battles, animal silhouettes, images of gods in different forms are easily recognized. But most of all, the most numerous erotic scenes are attracting attention: passion of copulation, subtle anatomical details, realism and liveliness of poses, almost complete correspondence to the proportions of human bodies and their movements, facial expressions and facial expressions. The ancient sculptors performed their work filigree and amazingly talented!
Valley of Sex
So, Khajuraho is the real sexual Eden of India. The bas-reliefs of his temples are rightly called the most frank and piquant of those openly accessible to the public eye. Huge phalluses personify the endless triumph of life, the ecstasy of sexual intimacy embodies the harmony of the male and female principles of Nature, the divine Universe. And all together it means love of life in its brightest and happiest manifestations!