India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [406]
Homoeroticism in the Temple: India’s Ancient Gay Rights
The Western group of temples comprise innumerable sculpted images of heterosexual coupling, usually involving buxom women in the company of lean, lithe men no doubt captivated by the physical beauty and impossibly supple bodies of their seductresses. Amid all these scenes of “mainstream” or “straight” desire, we’ve come across one carving that bucks the trend: At the Jagadambi Temple, search the left-hand side exterior wall along the third band of carvings rising up towards the main sikhara; discreetly positioned among the hetero couples is a nude man apparently fondling the erect member of a second naked younger man, who—in turn—caresses his lover’s face. Centuries ago Indians were far more progressive on matters related to homosexuality, which is why many were gratified when the high court in Delhi recently overturned a 148-year-old law (dating from the British Raj) that criminalized consensual sex between homosexuals. In a landmark judgment delivered in July 2009, the high court declared the statute to be “the antithesis of the right to equality,” and ordered it to be repealed. No doubt the discreetly placed couple in Jagadambi would, were they mortal, be much relieved.
Eastern Group
The Eastern Group comprises both Hindu and Jain temples. The entrance to the Jain Shantinath Temple is guarded by a pair of mythical lions; inside, you are confronted by esoteric charts detailing some of the finer points of Jain philosophy. Photographs of important sculptures and Jain architecture line some of the walls, while the individual shrine entrances are carved with amorous, nonerotic couples and other figures. The main shrine contains a large sculpted image of a naked saint. Throughout the temple, devotees place grains of rice and nuts as tributes at the feet of the various saints.
Parsvanatha Temple dates from the middle of the 10th century A.D. and is the finest and best preserved of Khajuraho’s old Jain temples. Since Jainism promotes an ascetic doctrine, there are no erotic images here, but the sculptural decoration is rich nonetheless. In a large panel at the right side of the entrance are images of meditating and naked Jain saints (tirthankaras), while the temple exterior is covered in decorative sculptures of voluptuous maidens, embracing couples, and solo male figures representing various Hindu deities. This is a strong indication that the temple—which recalls the temples of the Western Group—was perhaps originally Hindu. In the same complex, Adinath Temple has been modified and reconstructed with plastered masonry and even concrete.
Moving north to the Hindu temples, you will pass Ghantai Temple; built in A.D. 1148, it is named for the pretty sculpted bells that adorn its pillars. Passing between Javari Temple and the granite and sandstone “Brahma” Temple (more likely to be dedicated to Shiva given the presence of a lingam), you come to the northernmost of the Eastern Group temples, the Hindu Vamana Temple, built between A.D. 1050 and 1075. Vamana is the short, plump, dwarf incarnation of Vishnu. The entrance to the inner sanctum of this temple is decorated with small erotic relief panels; within the sanctum you will see Vishnu in many forms, including the Buddha, believed to be one of his incarnations.
Southern Group
One of the last temples to be built, Duladeo Temple dates from the 12th century A.D. but has been subjected to later restoration. Standing on the banks of Khuddar Stream, facing east, the temple is dedicated to Shiva. Elaborately crowned and ornamented apsaras, flying vidyadharas, crocodile-mounted ashtavasu figures, and sculptures of over-ornamented and stereotypically endowed characters in relatively shallow relief decorate the interior. As at Parshvanath Temple, the walls of Duladeo feature a narrow band of sculptures