The Konark Temple and Kamasutra statues

The organization of the Indian strings meeting prepared some touristic events on sunday. People had two choices. A visit to the Konark temple, an hindu temple known for its erotic statues, or the Chilika lake, the Asia's largest water lake. Of course I went for the first choice.

The day starts as usual with seminars in the morning. For me it was the first time I had a seminar in a sunday's morning. It's not bad.

The temple is about one hour bus from our hotel and we depart right after lunch. When we arrive there's many people outside waiting to sell us something. Most of the people go for a nice coconut with straw and I do the same. Its so cheap and so good. In fact mine was a bit more expensive, I had to pay 15 rupees instead of 10. These coconuts are bigger and, at the end, we can eat the inside of the coconut. Its very good.

The entrance ticket costs 200 rupees for foreigners and 10 rupees for indians. We have a guide and is going to explain us the history of the place. In the meanwhile, Im approached by someone who's selling a kind of handmade postcard with hindu gods. I give a look. In fact its more interesting than Ive thought. Behind the gods drawings there are kamasutra figures! I like it and I ask for a price. He wants 450 rupees. Of course I was expecting such inflationated price and I say that's too expensive and I will think about it when I come back.



We are standing in front of the temple. The guide is explaining that the temple was built in the thirteenth century in honor of Surya, the sun god. The temple, basically, is a gigantic chariot. It has 24 big wheels and is drawn by 7 horses. Everything here is related to time. Each wheel symbolizes an hour and a horse a day. Each quarter of the day is represented by a god which stands in a specific position according to the sun light. The guide is also explaining that the temple was constructed with impressive bars of iron and it had a huge magnet on top of it. The magnet, he was saying, was supposed to support the structure of the temple. Curiously, it seems that it was the portugueses that removed the magnet long time ago because it was intefering with the compass. Ive laughed, "damn portuguese"!



The temple is guarded by two big lyons which are shown crushing an elephant. This elephant in turn holds a human. This is supposed to show the superiority of gods over human.
The temple is architecturally very impressive. It is decorated with inumerous small statues symbolizing gods, animals and great part of the society. But the big attraction is the kamasutra figures. The temple is a stone version of the old love book. We can see almost everything, every position. The guide was telling that it is thought that at that time there was a secret group of people charged of exploring the science of sex. All of this is in big contrast with the hindu society which is very conservative. How could these people construct a temple that glorifies sex and be at the same time so conservative? I couldn't understand. Some of these figures were representing prostitution, adultery, conjugal problems or even medical treatments. There is a statue of a woman being licked by a dog. The guide was saying that it was a way of treating gonorrhea. Well... it makes sense, I suppose :D.



In the way back to the exit, there is a another guy trying to sell me the same stuff the first guy was selling but this time it costs 200 rupees. I ask for 100 rupees but he replies that it's too low. During the conversation he tells me that he is the father of the other guy! If his son was selling at 450 and he's selling me at 200 why not 100, I say!! I insist in 100 rupees and he ends leaving me. After some time it's his son that approaches me. I tell him that I talked with his father and he was asking me for 200 so now Im asking for 100. He says he can't sell that price, that it was handmade, etc. Ive to say that he was not being annoying and seemed to be saying the truth. Ok lets make a deal, "I buy it for 150". He hesitates but still doesn't sell me. When we are approaching the bus he ends giving up. My friend João, who I know form Porto undergraduate times, takes advantage of my work :D! and also buys one. The guy is radiant and I seem to have saved his day! I really like that piece of work, very nice.

We head back home. In the bus we fluff about hindu mitology and start talking about religions and all that stuff. I come to know that aryan is a sanskrit word that means civilized. Very interesting!