Sacred Erotic Art and Themes of Nepal (An Analytical Study and Interpretations of Religion Based Sex Expressions Misconstrued as Pornography)

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This book is widely appreciated by international scholars and has been very enthusiastically reviewed with high appreciation in many reputed magazines. This inspired the authors to bring out the new edition of this book.

In this edition, colour pictures have profusely been given. All designs are redrawn. Several portions of chapters are carefully rewritten and amended. New matter has also been poured in and new symbolic interpretations are given. The authors have again surveyed temples in Nepal in its length and breadth. The list of the temples with erotic art is also revised. A new double-colour map is appended. The book is completely reset on computer with new format.

All the line-drawings given in this book are eye-copies drawn from the temples of Nepal. Erotic sculptures are those made by Nepalese artists true to iconography. The authors ventured to with this book as erotic art is on the verge of loosing its ground. Now no new temples constructed have erotic scenes. However, those which are renovated depict erotic scenery as they are almost replicas or are exact reproductions of the original ones.

We hope this book which is now in a completely new form and approach will be well-received. Suggestions by learned readers are most welcome.

Nepal has a unique position of its own with regard to its culture, anthropology, geography and natural sciences. The country has preserved its complex ethnic organisations. Various sects of Buddhism and Hinduism have flourished in the past and continue to flourish today. Some original thoughts or philosophy in connection with these religions also emerged as a result of the subtle forms of dogmas being practised in Nepal. The Tantric sects also established themselves and prevailed. Here one could discern the impact of various traditions and philosophies both from India and Tibet. When Buddhism declined in India, it had its followers, in fact it was gaining ground in Nepal. The original monastic character of Buddhism disappeared and the old conventional community has been replaced by the community of bandas, who are caste Buddhists. They are called Vajracharyas. Although in the past they observed strict religious celibacy, privately under the Tantric influence, they led a normal social and sex life. The office of Vajracharyas was hereditary and each family took charge of a monastery (Vihara). These religious centers developed into various shrines of learning and attracted Nepalese and Tibetan scholars. Vajracharyas maintained and developed Buddhist culture in Nepal. Later on they came to be greatly influenced by Tantrism.

Another great religion, Hinduism, with all its principal schools, had also grown in Nepal. The cult of Shiva in the form of Pashupati, which is regarded by its followers as the protector of the country, was wide-spread. One of the sects, which also grew side by side, was that of Vishnu followers. The concept of Shakti, the great mother goddess. also became popular. Shakti was worshipped in the form of energy and vitality and it is supported by the belief that without Shakti, Shiva is shava (corpse). In addition to this, some other forms revolved round the cult of Ganesh, the elephant headed son of Lord Shiva. The development of the cut of Ganesh resulted in the widespread practice of Ganesh worship for all purposes. The great popularity of Ganesh is testified by the existence of innumerable temples of Ganesh in different corners of the streets in the Kathmandu Valley.

Later on intermingling of the two sects, Hinduism and Buddhism, took place and this initiated the practice of describing the gods of both the religions in terms that correspond to each other. Tantric Buddhist regarded consort or mother as energy, while the Hindu school believed in the concept of Shakti. These beliefs led to the concept of a female as vigour and energy. It was also considered that Shakti (power or energy) is God's inexhaustible creative force.

In Shaivism, this power or energy includes the power of will, the power of wisdom and the power of action. The theosophical concept developed suggesting that this universe is conceived as a result of embrace between the divine couple or of the division of the first principle into self and other than self through the intervention of Shakti, as an emanation of a conscious Being. In traditional thinking, importance was given to the generative forces of nature. Certain orgiastic rites 'ere preserved which pointed out the origin of creation. This also resulted in the temporary suspension of the normal rules of social life.

Thus, as a part of cosmological conception and a ritual designed to stimulate le forces of nature for ensuring fruitfulness on earth and for warding off the anger of barrenness, there developed a desire for sexual relationship. This was not a sudden surge of desire but it was the result of a real impact of religion, philosophy of life and various other things. It was also realized that creation is of vital importance for other activities. The creation of multiplicity comes under the heading of manifestation. Danielou (1964) aptly writes, "Everything in the work of manifestation is intended to create the illusion of multiplicity and to prevent realization of the basic oneness of all beings for this world leads to the destruction if the notion of oneness which is power of cohesion that holds together the individual being, the witness that gives reality to the cosmos. Any weakening of the centripetal tendency characteristic of the individuality contrary to the process ff world's creation."

In Nepal, it was also felt that the aim of any creator is to prevent a realization of this act by his subject which would destroy his creation. In Nepal, nature has ways inspired its inhabitants, and influenced their ideas and thoughts. That was e reason why all rules of social morality, all forms of worldly and sacred knowledge and all bonds of religion and rites were intended to take man away from the path of liberation through a promise of heavenly bliss of pleasure.