Errotica in Hindu Temple Sculptures:
Mr. Dileep D'Souza is the nth person to have made the kind of comments that he has about the errotica in temple sculptures.
In making any value judgements one has to critically examine any issue in its proper perspective and context and most important, the "times". There are many like him who indulge in such
writings without understanding these issues. I have always given the following example and will do so again.
In many Bengali traditional marriages, at the time when the bride and bridegroom garland each other as the final ceremonial act, the bride sits on a wooden flat seat and is lifted up by her maternal uncles so she is at "level" with the groom to be able to garland him. It is a custom that started probably in the 19th century, because at that time there used to be a considerable difference in the ages of the two, the bride being much younger and therefore much shorter in height than the groom. A greater disparity in the sex ratio -around 880 men to 1000 women- also contributed to the age difference between the groom and the bride. It was below the dignity of the groom to bend down infront of his wife to receive the garland.!
Though times and circumstances have changed, even today we find the custom being followed. Hence these days one may laugh heartily at the spectacle of a heafty 25 year old bride being lifted sitting on the plank!. Therefore one has to study the sociological aspects and history to undersatnd the genesis of the custom though blindly followed now.
But it is futile to expect such understanding from those whose thinking is permanently tainted by a anti Hindu bias!
Posted on 20-APR-03