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So your next question is perhaps, "Why eroticism in temples?" The question by itself is a difficult one and there isn't any conclusive answer. Opinions vary. Some say that the art form depicts the harem life lived by the rulers, other arguments centre around the fact that these sculptures were meant to impart sexual education across their kingdoms. Another school of thought states that these sculptures depict the social conditions of that period and its degenerate society. The debate continues. However, the undeniable fact is that the ancient Indians took a healthy, integrated view of all aspects of life and gave sex its due importance in the overall picture. In the union between man and woman they saw this as the culmination of devotion, similar to that of the devotee with God and divinity. All these point to a period of time where the people were quite open in every aspect of life.
Whatever the current debate, it is clear that sex wasn't considered sinful in medieval India. Sexual allusions, stories relating to sex and rituals are to be found in Hindu scriptures. It was believed that lovemaking between man and woman is all about sexual and spiritual ecstasy. This sublime love is adequately revealed by the progression of erotic imagery in Indian art and architecture. The proliferation of these sensual sculptures found in Indian temples can be attributed to many factors. Firstly, there seemed to be a tremendous spurt in temple building activity, which probably explains why temples were larger and hence, provided ample scope for sculptors to work in a bigger area. Another factor could be the strong Tantric influence of the times as is depicted by all forms of sexual motifs.
Be that as it may, it's obvious that sex wasn't taboo in the society of those days. A society that believed that sex can be clean, healthy and enjoyable.
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Also Check out: What is 'Love'?
