Sexual Perversions behind Erotic Sculptures of Konark

First of all a gentle disclaimer for the greater good- the purpose of this photo post is not to criticize any ancient form of art and this topic is obviously not for minors. Now let me give a personal background intro of the Sun Temple of Konark. Unless a Bong travels at least half a dozen times to Puri (a coastal town of Odisha) he is not considered to be a true wanderer. The ideal Bong travels to Puri at different phases of his life and majority of those trips do essentially include Konark sight seeing too. Yes, the mighty Sun Temple, built in 1250 AD, designed in the form of a huge chariot drawn by seven spirited horses on twelve pairs of marvelously carved wheels is the prime tourist attraction of the tiny town of Konark. The Bong kid/boy (a pre-adolescent one) gets bored when his parents drag him for this monument sight seeing as he finds the roaring sea at Puri much more captivating. After few years, the same boy (the adolescent one) savors the sexual part of guide's narrations and shuffles his curious yet swift gaze between an erotic sculpture and an adjoining simple one so that the accompanying parents fail to discover his heinous thought process. Then, after another few years, the young man with his friends appreciate the beauty of Konark sculptures in much more explicit way which goes beyond the level of acceptability of surrounding elderly tourists. This is how the travel-cycle of a Bong to Konark Sun Temple continues till his grandkid astounds him with, "Grandpa, why all of these Gods and Goddesses are dancing without clothes?"

I am a Bong and presently I belong to that part of the cycle where over-exaggerated sexual depictions or erotic arts do no longer entice me. If I go to the Sun Temple of Konark, reasons would be its artistic grandeur on stone and its massiveness as a monument. Most of its depictions on walls are either eroded, half-broken or totally lost. Out of twenty four wheels, only one is fully intact. The ongoing restoration work undertaken by Archaeological Survey of India which I had noted also in my last visit around six years back seemed to be static like the mummified tyre of a vintage car. To me, the Sun Temple resembles more like the remains to a lost civilization! I can still recall my guide's briefing on the sensuous depictions of this temple (from my boyhood archive):- There was a time when Buddhism was spreading like a bonfire and the people of that region were turning too religious to lead a family life. Renunciation of marriage was becoming a common occurrence. This made the king seriously worried. So, erotic sculptures were carved with a noble motive to woo all deviating subjects of the kingdom! Well, I never bothered to study and verify this tale though. Today when I look at those vivacious human anatomies superbly carved on the stone walls of the Sun Temple, their sensuous modeling pulsating with earthly emotions absorbed in a variety of gestures and rhythmic actions, fail to justify the portrayal of sexual perversions on the walls of a Godly abode.

By definition, sexual perversions are consistent sexual acts or fantasies in which complete sexual gratification is sought and obtained without sexual intercourse. I refrained from captioning these photos individually with their respective perversions due to the fear of getting my photo-blog tagged as an adult website by the search engine. Here I'll mention them in short to help you identify each condition specifically, instead of tagging the whole thing as erotic art. Common among all of these photographs is Exhibitionism, i.e. sexual urges or behavior of exposing of one's genitals to an unsuspecting stranger. As of now, exhibitionism in India is an obscene act punishable under Section 294 of I.P.C. with imprisonment up to three months or fine! Other forms of sexual perversions shown in these photos are- Cunnilingus (kissing, licking and sucking of a female's genital by her partner), Fellatio (stimulation of the penis by partner's mouth), Masturbation (deliberate stimulation of genitals which effects sexual arousal), Troilism (sexual practice involving three persons, two of one sex and one of the opposite), Pedophilia, sexual stimulation by lower animals and Lesbianism (female homosexuality). I think this is enough for one day and if you find any justification of sculpting sexual perversions in the name of erotic arts on the walls of a temple kindly enlighten me. Keep an eye over this spot as I'll be soon publishing photos of the Sun Temple with all its glory and also few photos of the illuminated Sun Temple in the evening!