Sacred Love: Erotic art in the temples of Nepal
Book Details
Author(s)Shivaji Das, Yolanda Yu
ISBN / ASINB00EGP358E
ISBN-13978B00EGP3584
MarketplaceFrance 🇫🇷
Description
Sacred love is a collection of 23 photographs of erotic temple art in and around Kathmandu, Nepal.
Just look up to examine the carved roof struts of any temple in the Kathmandu valley and a whimsical realm of amorous beings appear. Unlike the erotic art of neighbouring India, these explicit carvings on the roof struts are relatively crude, made more with humour than dedication. Elephants turn missionary, beasts love men, and every taboo is violated. The attitude of naughtiness is implausibly similar to that of the Mochica erotic pottery of Peru.
Today, young couples whisper to each other sweet nothings under the tender gazes of these eternal lovers while jaded tourists raise their bazooka cameras to shoot down this unexpected explicitness.
Time has forgotten the real reason for their existence although tour guides will tell you that they are there to protect the temples from the goddess of lightning who happens to be a shy virgin.
Just look up to examine the carved roof struts of any temple in the Kathmandu valley and a whimsical realm of amorous beings appear. Unlike the erotic art of neighbouring India, these explicit carvings on the roof struts are relatively crude, made more with humour than dedication. Elephants turn missionary, beasts love men, and every taboo is violated. The attitude of naughtiness is implausibly similar to that of the Mochica erotic pottery of Peru.
Today, young couples whisper to each other sweet nothings under the tender gazes of these eternal lovers while jaded tourists raise their bazooka cameras to shoot down this unexpected explicitness.
Time has forgotten the real reason for their existence although tour guides will tell you that they are there to protect the temples from the goddess of lightning who happens to be a shy virgin.
