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Buddhist and Hindu Sculpture of Ancient India
Introduction
Sex or sexuality in general is not widely talked about in the Indian culture and especially in the Gita. However, a lot of artwork, architecture and sculptures have been used to portray sexuality in a number of places and especially in the Hindu temple. These temples include the Ajanta, the Ellora and the Khajuraho temples. The fertility symbol known as Shiva lingam is one of the sexual symbols seen in some of these temples.
A Hindu’s life is usually in stages. When one is in the Brahmacharya, which is the student stage, one is required to live a celibate life in order to advance him or herself spiritually and educationally (Nair 65). After this, they attain the dharma stage where one fulfills their religious duties and then they move to the Grihastya stage. When one attains the Grihastya stage, which is referred to as ‘the householder’, one can explore Kama, which is the physical pleasure (Sarita 47). Although sexual pleasure outside marriage has been accepted in some Hindu areas due to the great influence of Westernization, some communities still view sex outside marriage as a hindrance to attain moksha, which is the soul enlightenment.
As has been noted earlier, some art or architecture portrays sexuality, or they are sexual symbols by their own merit. In addition to those already listed above, the Laksham temple and the Chaturbuj are other examples of architecture with sexual statues and carvings located in them (Kimball & George 583). Although these kinds of carvings and general architecture were not meant to encourage immorality, they were and still are of significance to the life of a Hindu. This paper discusses the Khajuraho, the Ellora caves, Lord Shiva and the lingam and yoni (Subramanian 64).
Khajuraho Temples
The Khajuraho temples are a group of temples in Kajuraho town in the state of Madhya Pradesh. They are very famous because they are also depicted as monuments. Their location is also known as the City of Erotica (Kimball & George 582). The monuments are made of sandstone. Unlike other buildings, mortar was not used to build these temples. Instead, the monuments were made by joining the stones using mortise-and-tenon joints. To top it up, the stones were held together by gravity. The people in charge of putting up these monuments had to be very precise, for otherwise, this mode of building would not have worked. Megaliths, which would weigh up to twenty tons, were used to build the columns and architraves (Kimball & George 583).
Apart from the erotic sculptures curved out of the monuments, the sculptures also look as though they are real. They are of much interest to the people until this day. People still go to this part of Asia to study them. Some other temples such as the Saraswati, Pilani or the Birla Institute of Science have been modeled after the Khajuraho temple (Stewart, 2007). Each of the materials used to build this monumental structure had meaning and significance to the people and structure. The temple and the sculptures were mostly made at the peak of the Gurajara- Pratihara Empire between the years 500 and 1300 C.E.
The sandstone was used to give the temples a long lasting and distinct effect. This is why the temples have withstood the natural vagaries. It also made it easier for the artisans to make the sculptures found in the temple. Since the temples were built at a very early time, keenness and precision was very essential. The theme of the temples was also of significance and so the right materials had to be used. Since love and sexuality as a whole are topics and activities that have been with man since the beginning of time, then the temple had to be made with materials and joining methods that would last that long. Even today, the temples are still strong.
The famous erotic sculptures found on the temples are not inside the building and neither are they near the deities. These sculptures are found outside (Stewart, 2007). Mythologies suggest that the god of the Moon seduced and later ravaged Hemvati, a beautiful Brahmin girl. As a result, she gave birth to Chandravarman who became the founder of Chandela dynasty. The town also came into being due to Chandravarman’s dream.
According to Hinduism, the temples’ architecture presents human relationship. They are meant to show that sexual relations are as important as other stages and physical wants of a human being. The sexual pleasures are also important for the reproduction process to take place. The god’s seduction of the girl shows that our sexual health needs to be fulfilled. Putting such erotic sculptures in a temple also shows that our sexual health needs to be looked after just the way the Hindus look after their spiritual health (Stewart, 2007).
However, it is significant to understand that the temple sculptures were outside and not inside. This was to make it clear that spiritual matters should remain segregated and pure. Mixing sexual matters and spiritual matters was not acceptable. One had to go through all the stages successfully before having enlightenment of the soul. Spiritual matters come first and that is why people have to go through the Brahmacharya and dharma stages before becoming sexually active. In other words, each time people visit the temple, they are supposed to be reminded by all the sculptures present of the different parts of their lives and their significance.
Ellora Caves
The Ellora caves, which are mostly referenced together with the Ajanta caves, are another architectural work that is of significance to the Hindu people. The most interesting thing about these caves lies on the fact that they were curved out of stone with a hammer and chisel. It is believed that this work took more than a century to be completed. The caves represent a combination of the Jain, the Buddha and the Hindu religions. The caves are found in AurangabadCity in Maharashtra. They were made during the Rashtrakuta dynasty. The two major caves related to the Hindu religion are the Dashavatara (cave 15) and the Kailasantha (cave 16) caves. Other caves are also of significance to Hinduism. In approximation, the Hindu caves are ten. These are caves 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 26, 27, 28 and 29. However, there is a culmination of caves 14 and 15 in cave 16 (Subramanian 64).
Apart from the skills put in the work such a cave been curved from top to bottom, the sculptures in those case are a centre of attraction. As they are made purely of stone and with no joints, most of the caves have a story to tell. The sculptures inside the caves are almost pornographic. In fact, some portray people in different sexual positions. However, the main aim of the Hindus who made these sculptures was not to portray obscene sculptures, but they made these sculptures in order to relieve the sexual energy in a person.
In most times, the temples have been said to repress sexual desires. The sculptures curved out of the stones are not meant to repress the sexual desires once one gets there, but they are used to relieve them. Some of the caves have been made to be temples (Subramanian 65). Through meditating in the temples, the erotic sculptures are meant to relieve such desires. As was noted earlier, these sculptures are not used to encourage promiscuity, idolatry or any other form of immorality, but they are used to encourage people to explore their whole “self”.
Lord Shiva
The Lord Shiva sculpture is mostly depicted as a handsome youthful man in a meditating position. Lord Shiva is mostly recognized as a supernatural being known for his good qualities. These are mostly humility, honesty, and kindness, amongst other virtues. Among other things he is associated with is sexuality (Nair 35). Shiva is taken to associate with sexuality when he is in the form of Lingam. Lingam is a symbol of the creative energy in males. The Lingam is shown with Yoni, which is also the creative energy in females.
Just like other gods, there are places where the sculpture depicting Lord Shiva appears with Parvati, his wife (Nair 40). This means that he is also a sexual deity. The sculpture of Shiva is mostly made out of sand stone. However, there are times it can be made from gold or other precious long-lasting material. This is to represent the immortality of the god. As the gods are part of the people, so is sexuality. Lord Shiva can be found in other places apart from the temple. Depending on what he is depicting at that particular moment, Shiva’s sculpture will be seen in most places where there is a public gathering.
Lord Shiva is seen as a symbol of human sexuality because sex is perceived as sacred by those who practice Hinduism. There is a representation of Shiva known as Ardhanarishvara. This sculpture represents Shiva as half-male and half female (Nair 56). In being depicted as this, Hinduism practitioners are able to view sexuality as a way of unifying the male and the females. They are able to view sexuality as a bonding force rather than a shameful act. However, with all these in place, sex is not supposed to be done outside marriage. This is why the god is portrayed as having a wife who have two sons- Ganesha and Skanda.
Yoni and Lingam
The Yoni and the Lingam symbols of sexuality mostly appear together. As earlier stated, the lingam represents creative energy in males and the yoni represents the creative energy in females. These symbols, which are mostly sculpted out of any precious material, represent god Shiva and goddess Shakti as noted. They usually appear together to depict the two in oneness that is brought by sexual intercourse (Sarita 22). The yoni and the lingam join in order to bring this oneness. This symbols show that there is nothing wrong about the sexuality of a human being especially when one reaches the Kama stage.
It is also significant that these two symbols are related to the gods. In most cases, the Hindus will pray to Shiva through this sculptural symbol when it comes to their sexual matters. This case applies to the female who will pray to goddess Shakti through the yoni. In some cases, the presence of yoni and lingam as one has been interpreted as hermaphroditism. This is a wrong interpretation. This unity only depicts that a man and woman attain oneness through sexual intercourse. In some cases, these symbols are used to perform sexual rituals (Sarita 50).
Conclusion
Sexuality is of significance in Hinduism just as it is in other religions or practices. Sexuality was so important that it was depicted in temples as shown in the Khajuraho group of temples. These were sculptures of people posing in different sex positions. It is important to understand that these sculptures were not meant to repress the sexual energy in the people but rather relieve it. They were also not meant to cause obscenity but rather show that sexuality was as significant to us as the spiritual life was.
The yoni and the lingam are associated with god Shiva and goddess Shakti. The oneness they portray is meant to show the people that there is oneness when people engage in sexual intercourse and it is nothing to be ashamed of at all. This is more so as the Gita vaguely addresses sexuality. It is also significant that sexual intercourse be done within marital boundaries. This has been clearly depicted by the presence of Shiva’s wife Parvati. Their two sons depict that children are fruits of sexuality as an addition to physical pleasure and liberty.
Works Cited
Nair, Shantha N. The Lord Shiva. New Delhi, Pustak Mahal, 2009. Print.
Kimball, Fiske & George Harold Edgell. History of Architecture. Research of Education Association of America, 2002. Print. 581
Sarita, Mahasatvaa Ma Ananda. Divine Sexuality: The Joy of Tantra. Scotland, UK: Findhorn, 2003. Print. 20
Stewart, Stanley. India’s Stone Kama Sutra. The Sunday Times. 8 Jul. 2007. Web. 30 Sep. 2011. <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/destinations/india/article2036159.ece>
Subramanian V. K. Art shrines of ancient India. New Delhi: Shakti Malik Abhinav Publications, 2003. Print. 63
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