Indian Erotic Art

“When his mouth faced my mouth, I turned aside.
And steadfastly gazed only at the ground;
I stopped my ears, then at each coaxing word
They tingled more: I used both hands to hide
My blushing, sweating cheeks. Indeed I tried,
But Oh, what could I do, then, when I found
My bodice splitting of its own accord?”

The canvas of Indian art, particularly the ancient and the medieval abounds with imagery both direct and indirect to the sensual and the erotic. One of the earliest images pertaining to the theme is the seated ithyphallic image of the primordial God who is identified as proto – Shiva. This terracotta seal from the Indus Valley Civilization depicts a male figure enthroned in a particular yoga posture with his feet crossed below an erect7 penis, he has buffalo horns surrounded by four animals. In its most obvious interpretation it would be linked directly to sex and erotica. On a deeper level as has been interpreted by numerous Indologists the erect penis is symbolic of the life force, of creative energy and of the harnessing of these energies. This erect penis or the urdhvalinga pressing against the abdomen is symbolic of the ascent of the semen characteristic of Shiva image and implies that no semen is allowed to leave the body- control of the seminal fluid is believed to entail ‘control of all passions and the achievement of desirelessness’ (1970: page 294. A. Bharati- The Tantric Tradition}

The erect penis or phallus of Lord Shiva is one of the most widely worshipped icon, by devotees even today. In the popular Shiva temples the lingam rests on the ‘yoni’ or the vagina which is symbolic of the union of Shiva and Parvati.

In some sivalingams is represented the separation between the pure male and female. These perfectly shaped white lingams are worshipped on a red cloth, white being the nucleus of Being while red is the active and passionate attachment which projects out into space and time.

From earliest times Indian Art Thought and Literature has not only been preoccupied with but in many ways obsessed with erotica. From the secular to the non secular, from the advaita to tantric philosophy, from the Buddhist to Islamic, from the folk to the tribal erotica is a dominant motif .

In the Indian tradition ‘rasa’ is the basis of the aesthetic appreciation of Indian art be it the visual or the performing arts, the ‘shringara’ or the erotic is also the ‘rasaraja’ or the king of the sentiments. Bharata the author of the Natyasastra explicates the sentiment thus: “Whatever is sacred, pure, placid and worth seeing” can be compared to Shringara. Bhoja the author of the ancient text Samaranganasutradhara defines Shringara as that through which a shringa or peak is reached evidently he speaks of a peak or climax of delight.

From the seventh century onwards a luxurious collection of works exist in which ‘shringara’ or erotica attains a high level of visibility, not only in painting and sculpture - of which Konarak and Khajurhao are brilliant examples of the erotic sentiment in the visual arts - but also in texts such as the Kama Sutra which has gained world wide fame. Kama Sutra being the earliest known text is followed by a number of other texts which deal with erotic sentiment such as the Koka Sastra, Anangaranga, Rasamanjari which go into intricate detailing of the nuances of lovemaking. Contrary to popular belief the Kama Sutra is not an erotic text but is a manual for social behavior where the art of love making is part of the 64 attributes which a ‘cultured’ man must possess. Indian sculptors and painters who have in turn produced a vast body of work are fully conversant with these texts.

Indian Temple Architecture which was one of the most important vehicles for the celebration of Indian erotica. The feminine form has been celebrated in the temples of Khajuraho. In fact the architecture of the temple speaks of the correspondences with the human coital union. The sanctum sanctorum is the bridegroom the main hall or the ‘mandapa’ is the bride, the ‘antarala’ or the passage between the two as the ‘milina-sthala’, or meeting place. “That place in front where the bridegroom meets the bride becomes the sandhiksetra, or place of juncture.” It is on the exterior of these temples , on the juncture walls of the exterior facade, that sculptors carved panels of entwined or ‘joining’ couples. These images are a celebration of joy and the pleasures of life where sex is an important component. A stock image of Indian sculpture is that of the maithuna couple – voluptuous figures of a man and woman fondly grasping each other around the waist and shoulders, symbolic of wealth prosperity and love. These sculptured couples also had a protective function, and depicted the strong link between sexuality, fertility and the auspicious in Indian society. Thus the temple becomes a site for the common man to view and is not reserved only for the temple patrons. It became a public arena where erotic images met a wider gaze.

In addition to the plastic arts of the temples the performing arts too had a strong connection with sexuality within the temple complex itself. The ‘ganikas’, /‘devadasis’ who were also synonymous as ‘wife of the god’ or dancing girls who staged performances which were part of the ritual of worship. Dance and music with erotic overtones was performed in many Hindu temples in front of the deity which was also symbolic of giving oneself upto God. This was the leitmotif of the ‘bhakti’ movement in India. The tradition of the devadasis continued in the form of the nautch girls in the royal courts of India, right through to post independent India.

Sexual intercourse was accepted between the devadasi and a male visitor to the temple, because the male diety or icon of the temple was a reflection of heaven on earth, who must be attended to by a body of female dancers who are symbolically married to him. Therefore when male visitors couple with them they experience celestial bliss. This is part of the underlying philosophy behind the plethora of erotic sculptors that adorn medieval Hindu Temples.

The sexual activities and positions as displayed on the external facades of many temple groups all over India are linked to tantric beliefs. Tantra has a special manifestation of Indian feeling art and religion. Even though there are many variations of practice and belief there is one common thread which guides the lay man. “This thread is the idea that tantra is a cult of ecstasy focussed on a vision of cosmic sexuality.” (1993: page 7. Rawson Phillip. The Art of Tantra. Thames and Hudson. London)

The tantric iconography of sexual union has travelled through time. Taking the union of man woman as a metaphor for Shiva-Shakti the foundation on which tantric thought rests, all imagery spider webs from this.

Mandala designs, yantras, snakes, triangular female emblems, lingam, explicit copulating couples, symbolism of fire, colour form the repertoire through which the artist created images Every minor detail was taken into account. Creativity was not the hallmark, rather it was the transferring of the text into the image, .From the ovoid lingam adorned with a five hooded serpent head symbolic of cosmic energy executed by the ancient Indian artist to the serpent heads used by the contemporary Indian painter Manu Parekh, to the explicit depiction of male and female genitalia by Ranbir Kaleka a continuum of the imagery is perceived.

The body was turned into a geometric ideal of beauty. The tantric philosphy spilled over into the Indian miniature tradition of painting, be it Rajasthani or the Pahari miniature schools. Indian myths and legends are woven into a dense tissue of meaning leading to a planet of vivid imagination.

The cosmic love between Radha and Krishna was an important muse for the court painters and the folk artists who were unabashed in their exposition often showing the divine couple in amorous dalliances. The twelfth century poet Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda has been the muse of a number of miniature painters. In fact the erotic cult of the god Krishna has origins which are not directly related to the Tantrik philopsophy. But one set of thinkers believe that the personable form of Krishna who is the ideal lover for all the ‘gopis’ or the shepherdess of Brindavan, is in fact the highest female Nitya who is also known as lalita the great goddess herself, embracing all women and entrancing the world. The red female principle the Nitya-Lalita is also Parvati the ‘wife’ of Shiva. Krishna then becomes the dominant erotic symbol in the whole of Indian culture.

The love between Radha and Krishna again represents transfigured desire seen from a different perspective. There are literary texts which give long descriptions of the acts and postures the divine lovers perform. The visual imagery in fact moves a step further by depicting the divine lovers in the most intimate, delirious, ecstatic, erotic detail, promoting “an endless transcendent Desire fanning the inner fire of bhakti.” (Rawson:104) Again the travel through time the essence of Indian erotica can be felt in the works of many contemporary Indian painters like F.N. Sousa, M.F. Hussain, Bendre, Jatin Das.

The contemporary Indian artists deal with erotica in a completely different way. Though linked with the spirit of traditional Indian folk and tribal paintings the visual language of the modern Indian artist changed dramatically. It sees a near complete break with the visuality of traditional Indian painting and sculpture but retains some kind of a link with the metaphysical concepts of Indian Erotica.

Post Independent India sees the emergence of artists who are now becoming more conscious of their own cultural identity in the face of globalization. Erotica is no longer a central theme in their work, though in the works of some artists it is still palpable. Issues of post colonialism are becoming predominant. In the works of Nilima Sheikh, Rekha Rodwittiya, Nalini Malani sculptors Meera Mukherjee and Mrinalini Mukherjee. they are engaged more with the subtle but complex feminist messages. There is a transformation of representation. Despite the importance and significance of the mother goddess cult the position of Indian women in society went on a downhill swing. From the Indus Valley civilization to the present the status of women reached an all time low at the turn of the century. But as we move into the twentyfirst century women artists are reclaiming their rights and positions in society. The translation of erotica is seen in the female images where the body has been used by them as a metaphor for dealing with issues of gender, feminism, social strictures, i.e. bride burning At times erotica can be felt as in the case of Mrinalini Mukherjee whose mostly sexually ambiguous figures hint at sexuality. In the case of Anjolie Ela Menon there is a harking back to the emblematic mother goddess but in an autobiographical genre. Arpana Caur on the other hand does draw some imagery from the emblematic mother goddess and the heroines of the Indian miniature tradition in a feminist light.

Indian erotica started loosing its pre eminence from the Mughal period onwards. Sexuality became hidden and covered, and during the Victorian period even the legs of the legs piano were covered. Victorian prudery set the sun on the frankness of Indian erotica. Erotica was not just a matter of pleasure but had a deeper scientific sense to it. It was linked with texts not only of the visual and performing arts, but also religious and literary genre. It was a part of everyday society and to separate one from the other was unthinkable.

The sivalingam is the best example of the high point of Indian Erotica . Minimal at one level, it achieves the final abstraction of its concept and form in the Svayambhu or self originated. Subtly rounded in its surface, curved on top and bottom that do not emerge from anywhere in our time or space. Representative of the transcendent cosmic energy where male and female can be seen as distinct. It is this separation and union of the male and female which makes Indian Erotica so holistic giving equal importance to both the sexes and their shared energies.