Chitragupta temple, Khajuraho

The Khajuraho temples have become famous for erotic art sculptures on the walls of their temples, for better or worse. In reality, such art is less than 10% of the total art across all temples. However, this kind of art has puzzled many visitors. Why were such sculptures included in a temple? Did it reflect the lax moral values of the time? Was it a reference to the Kamasutra? An accepted theory now states that these kinds of sculptures were really symbols of Tantric love. Based on this theory, the act of sex is a union of Yoga and Bhoga. Sense enjoyment was seen as an easy path to salvation.

It is interesting to note that all the temples, including the Chitragupta Temple, have a few common features. One of them is that in all of these temples, the external walls of the temples are covered with images of apsaras, individuals performing day-to-day activities of cultural and religious life or in erotic embrace. In the mandapa, the images on the wall are separate and do not portray action of any form. These images of beings appear calm, still and meditative. In the inner sanctum/garbha gruha, the walls do not have carvings of people. Instead there are floral or other decorative motifs and an image of the main deity of the temple. This signifies the inner deity, like the Atman, is pure and unaffected by sexual and material desires. It also sends the message to visitors that God is at the very core of our lives, even while we live in a world of action and desire.