Hinduism - What Is A Mithuna In Hindu Architecture ?


 (“pair”) In architecture, the name for what has been described as a “loving couple.” 

A more candid characterization is that of sculptures of men and women engaged in sexual activity, either as a pair or a larger group, with the occasion al animal thrown in for variety.

The most famous examples of such sculptures are at the temples at Konarak in the state of Orissa, and at Khajuraho in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

The meaning behind such explicit sculptures has been variously interpreted.

Some people claim that they sanction carnal pleasure as a religious path, some interpret them as representing human union with the divine, and still others view them as teaching that the desire for pleasure must ultimately be transcended to attain the divine.

Any of these may be true, or the sculptures may simply reflect an affirmation of life on all its levels.

~Kiran Atma


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