Technology and Science, Pilani, India is modeled after the Khajuraho temple
The Khajuraho temples do not contain sexual or erotic art inside the temple or
near the deities; however, some external carvings bear erotic art. Also, some
of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the
outside of the inner wall. There are many interpretations of the erotic
carvings. They portray that, for seeing the deity, one must leave his or her
sexual desires outside the temple. They also show that divinity, such as the
deities of the temples, is pure like the atman, which is not affected by sexual
desires and other characteristics of the physical body. It has been suggested
that these suggest tantric sexual practices. Meanwhile, the external curvature
and carvings of the temples depict humans, human bodies, and the changes
that occur in human bodies, as well as facts of life. Some 10% of the carvings
contain sexual themes; those reportedly do not show deities, they show
sexual activities between people. The rest depict the everyday life of the
common Indian of the time when the carvings were made, and of various
activities of other beings. For example, those depictions show women putting
on makeup, musicians, potters, farmers, and other folks. Those mundane
scenes are all at some distance from the temple deities. A common
misconception is that, since the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are
temples, the carvings depict sex between deities. Between 950 and 1150,
the Chandela monarchs built these temples when the Tantric tradition may
have been accepted. In olden days, before the Mughal conquests, when boys
lived in hermitages, following brahmacharya until they became men, they
could learn about the world and prepare themselves to become householders
through examining these sculptures and the worldly desires they depicted.
Dinner and overnight at Khajuraho.
Day 8:
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After breakfast, check out from the hotel and transfer to the
airport for the flight to Varanasi. Varanasi is probably one of
the most ancient l iving cities in the world. From time
immemorial it has been a great rel igious centre
for Hindus and one of their most sacred places of pilgrimage, being visited by
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