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Essay name: The Sculptures of Madan-Kamdev (Study)

Author: Kamal Nayan Patowary
Affiliation: Gauhati University / Department of History

The essay critically studies the Sculptures of Madan-Kamdev: an archaeological site in Baihata Chariali, Kamrup, Assam (India) dating back to the 9th century A.D. The site features elegant sculptures in relief and round forms which are documented in Sanskrit texts like the Kalika Purana and Yogini Tantra.

Chapter 4 - Erotic Sculptures of Madan-Kamdeva

Page:

48 (of 66)


External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)


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194
protecting prosperity. Secondly guru, a technical expert of Tantric
sadhana here being represented as an official in charge of
instructing, initiating or concluding any Tantric sikshadana
session for prosperity and happiness in which maithuna is to be
the ultimate rite to perform.
E) Vayantarata & Homosexuality :
The representation of secular sex or the sex in harem
is one of an important feature of the erotic sculpture, available at
Madan-Kamdeva. Depicting two of the most familiar sexual motif
of Indian erotic art, Vayantarata, and homosexuality, two
consecutive sequences are there on the right side of the main
temple plint which can better be described as the best surviving
representations of secular sex at Madan-Kamdeva. Referring to
the sequence of Vayantarata(fig.14.1) i) there is a couple in which
an woman being mate by the male from the rear, ii) a male
attendant, stand in front of the mating couple and helped the
woman to bend forward and to accept penetration from the rear in
ease iii) another woman sit behind the couple with a such an
expression that she tried to reject her sight as far as possible from
all sexual activities occurs in the scene. In the second sequence
there are three women, two of them being depicted here as engaged
in homosexual activities, other woman while sitting on a stool,
here also, tried to repudiate herself completely from the activities
of the women by turning her head completely towards her back.
While to explaining the sequence of Vayantarata, a
general suggestion made by Desai over the question of the presence
of male attendant in an erotic group have raised a new speculation

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