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Sculptures of Creation
By Aachi Mithin - 10:31 AM Saturday 24 December 2005
Ever wonder about why the ancients pasted the walls of ancient temples like Khajuraho with sculptures of males and females in erotic
postures? What made them do it? If sex is an obstacle to spiritual freedom, then it looks like they bungled up big time.
The answer lies in a story of a medieval saint. The said saint was
supposedly born with a divine antecedent and was famed to become one of the greatest devotees of God. But wonder of wonders, the saint had a terrific sexual appetite and was least bothered about God, leave alone liberation. He used to spend most of his youth indulging in sexual acts with women. A perturbed Goddess approaches God and asks him the reason for the behavior of the saint. God smiles and replies, “ One who doesn’t desire sex, will not desire liberation. Sex is also an integral part in the path of liberation.”
God then takes the form of a monk and approaches the saint. He chides
the saint into getting carried away by the beauty of the human level
when there is much greater beauty to be discovered. The saint, amazed to know that there is a greater beauty in the world than that of the human sphere, asks the monk to show him that beauty. God takes him to an adjoining temple to show him the deity of the temple and tell him that the Divine is a fountainhead of beauty when the saint stops the monk and asks him to look at the sculptures of nude men and women indulging in sexual acts, which would be plastered on the walls of the temple spire. The saint winks at the monk and asks him “ What do you see, sir?”
The monk looks at the sculptures, smiles and replies “ I see that in
accordance to the Universal law, couples in love engaging themselves in the holy act of creation.” The stunned saint realises the sanctity in sex and the ignorance in his lewd question.
The sculptures at Khajuraho and other temples of historical interest
have been born out of the same sentiment echoed by the monk in the story. The temple design in ancient times was perfect in its representation of Creation. The source of creation, God in the center, the sanctum sanctorum, surrounded by the world he created. For the ancients, or even for us, Creation is best represented artistically by the same sculptures, which show humans indulging in the art of sex. So temples in ancient times were constructed to artistically represent Creation, like an isolated Universe with the Creator in the center.
Sex was not condemned, but was celebrated. Like Jasjit’s post
previously, it was a doorway to super consciousness. Many of us are lead to believe that these sculptures are representations of the emptiness of human desire, or are negatively constructed. Another theory is that they served as a sex education for unmarried couples in ancient times.
The former thought is refuted by the observation that they are
representations of creation and hence cant be seen as representations of the emptiness of human desire and the latter by the fact that even books could have been used for sex education in those times.
Hence the primary reason for these sculptures of creation was the
celebration of sex, the act of creation. There is a joy, a wonder that makes these sculptures beautiful. Over the years that joy that was represented by the ancients has died a slow death in religious circles and sex became condemned due to misrepresentations and hypocrisies.
If one but contemplates the beauty in the art and the meaning of these ancient sculptures, listen to the song of creation that they sing, then one once again discovers the joy and the wonder which has been lost for long.
Posted By Aachi Mithin - 10:31 AM Saturday 24 December 2005
Comments
Good Morning Aachi and welcome to the blog
Your piece is a wonderful rendition of the core struggle between the sacred and the profane. Thank You for sharing such a deep and beautiful aspect of Indian wisdom so simply and comprehensively. We do hope that this site is able to rekindle human interest in reclaiming the sexual as a joyful play of beauty and ecstasy, shorn of the tides of time which have sullied it with judgement, suppression and shame. Good to have you on the blog.
love
Posted by
nice post...everything is sacred; the thorns as well as the roses;the so-called saint as well as the so-called sinner.the sculptures you have talked about have a ring of the "mystical" about it...joyous, exuberant and utterly sacred.
Posted by on December 24, 2005 12:03 PM
dear Aachi ,
wat u say is exactly right..now a days India ,has so much of moral policing and narrow mindness that we need someone to make us remember the openess and glory of our art,philosophy and religion..
Posted by
Aachi hello
I like what you write but I am having one question. Why only some people like you and the others on this blog think sex is art and Khajurao celebrating beauty and creation? Everyone else is thinking so different. They think sex is dirty and Khjuraho is strange place to go. How we all Indians became so different if Kahjurao was a temple once upon a time? Why not teach in schools then that Khajurao is art and temple for God?
Sorry I ask many questions.
Thankx
Posted by
Today's india really sucks when it comes to sex.
I say to people that india needs sexual liberation more than meditation. ; - )
Cheers, Rohit
Posted by on December 24, 2005 05:40 PM
Jasjit, Anusheh ,
its good to be on the blog and as you say let there be a new beginning to new and old understandings.
sundar, u are right. everything is sacred and this is because everything arises from the same root. when the root is Divine, how can the fruit be otherwise.
preethi , i think India is a very accomadative society regarding everything, including sex. It is in the long run that hypocrisies crept into the common public and things began to deteriorate.
ikp,
we are here to discuss and ask questions. so dont worry shoot as many as u can. regarding as to when the society deteriorated in its perception is difficult to define.
many things contributed to the downfall. i personally feel that the law makers, the pompous religious priests of yester years used their half baked knowledge to convince the common folk into believing their whims and fancies, and hence led to a shift in thought process.
the shift persisted and now has taken a perverse form.
the only way to remove the misrepresentation is to broaden our minds and understand the reality.
Posted by on December 24, 2005 08:14 PM
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SAMIRcommented ( 5:46 PM Friday 06 June 2008) on
How do I ? -
criscommented ( 2:10 PM Monday 28 April 2008) on
HOW TRUE IS IT? -
vijaya rajagopalcommented ( 2:20 PM Sunday 16 March 2008) on
how you see the it depends on that the spirituality would like to know more about this subject -
Miekecommented ( 4:57 PM Monday 10 March 2008) on
Dear Aachi, Thanks, found the book but haven't any idea how to order it from them, because it is only ... -
Harbcommented ( 4:00 PM Monday 10 March 2008) on
Aachi, please write at the following email address: harb_singh@yahoo.com -
Aachicommented (12:18 PM Monday 10 March 2008) on
Dear Mieke, Harb, Lots of love to you.:) The book is in the Young Adult Fiction category of wisdomtree. Harb, ... -
Miekecommented ( 5:17 PM Saturday 08 March 2008) on
Hi Harb, I have been reading the blog just now. This one on one conversation is very straightforward and I ...
Aachi
Welcome to the blog. What a great piece. Really enjoyed reading it. Unfortunately we have forgotten the liberation that the sexual promises. But here's to new beginnings and old and new understandings.
love
Anusheh