''Vamana'' Temple khajuraho,India creativity galore in stone

Vamana  Temple khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh  en.wikipedia.org

Vamana temple,  Khajuraho Dreamstime.com

Vamana temple,  a Hindu temple dedicated to Vamana (dwarf), an avatar of the god Vishnu, was  built during circa 1050-75. It forms part of the Khajuraho Group of Monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Alluring details of the miniature  sculptures of romantic coupes and other miniature  images of gods and goddesses  set  within the bands along the gopura  and other meticulously carved ornate pavilions,  sanctums, vestibules etc make the monument complex  one of the best and most evolved and preserved one in the world. A stupendous and  staggering stone carving work that could be undertaken only by exceptionally talented artisans.  This fascinating  temple is in the eastern area of Khajuraho, about 200 meters to the north-east to Brahma Temple.

It is a Nirandhara (one without ambulatory- Pradhakshana path) temple, built on a model of  a sapta-ratha (seven-projectioned) sanctum, vestibule, maha-mandapa with lateral transepts and entrance-porch.  Its plinth has survived and its sikhara is  not hidden by any subsidiary sikharas and is embellished with well ornamented  Chaitanya-arches. This is in  contrast to the other local temples and here the erotic scenes are absent  except in the subsidiary niches of the proof-pediments. A noticeable feature  over the maha-mandapa  is a peculiar roof known as Samvarana which was common  in  the medieval temples of western India.  That the sura-sundari figures  do not possess  dhammilla- type of head-dress suggests  that the temple is later than the Kandariya, though the sculptural types and  architectural styles persisted in the later period.  This puts the date of the temple as 1050-75.

Vamana  Temple khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh BCMTouring

 Devoted to the Vamana, the dwarf incarnation of the god Vishnu, this  temple is a metaphor for the sacred mountain. A central peak and surrounding towers take our eye upward, while horizontal bands that contain countless miniatures figures of humans, etc suggest earthy realm, hence our eyes, as it implies,  stay on the ground.  The are no differences between this temples and others in this complex, that carry the same array of miniature sculptures, but it is to be noted that the small figures only  in the subsidiary niches in this Vamana temple bring out eroticism, again an earthy realm. Other common figures include men and women, half-human creatures and anthropomorphic deities.

Vamana statue, vamanat emple.bcmtouring.com

Demon king Mahabali and saint  Vamana (Sri Vishnu) Dainik Bhaskar

Above image:  Vamana (in Sanskrit meaning dwarf), is the fifth avatar of Hindu god Vishnu. He took the avatar to restore cosmic balance by defeating the Asura king Mahabali, who had gained enormous power to control the universe. According to Hindu mythology, the noble demon king  arranged for sacrifice and gift to sages and others to consolidate his power. His ego  went overboard. God Vishnu wanted to subdue his pride so he, in the guise of a  Brahmin dwarf (vamana) saint, appeared at the ceremony. The  mendicant Brahmin stood before king Mahabali  who was ready to offer him any rich gift.  But Vamana, to the surprise of the king, demanded  just like three paces of land. Mahabali was quite amused about the gift and granted it anyway.    Vamana then grew in size into a giant of cosmic proportions. In one step he covered the earth, in another the heavens, and for the third, Mahabali offered  his head on which Vamana  placed his foot (pada), sending the demon king to the Patala (netherworld). The lord subdued his pride and gave him salvation for his undisputed charity and keeping it up at any cost. ........................

The fusion of  of erotic sculpture with  Hindu religious structures is certainly  contradictory and goes against any religion. In reality, nudity is not encouraged in Indian art work as it is confirmed by presence of many Goddesses in the Indian pantheon and the famous temples dedicated to them. There is a visible dividing line between anything scared and human sexuality and the line is not wiggly.  The erotic sculptures of Khajuraho suggest the inevitability of weak human mind which is after transient things like  material and amoral life. To lead a perfect and happy life and stand apart in a society, the man has go past all these enticing amoral pleasures and other attractions  without getting caught in the mire. Invariably, such human frailty, if not unchecked, will  cause only doom. The eroticism exhibited openly in some of the temples at Khajuraho is a warning to those who succumb to such human weakness and temptations. Real pleasure lies in leading a moral life and seek the divine bliss of the creator of this universe - be it Allah or Holy Ghost or Sri Krishna.  The later will be with the humans till they hit the grave.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vamana_Temple,_Khajuraho