Visit Khajuraho temples to know how tolerant India really is

It is said that Mahatma Gandhi found the temples very depressing and persuaded his supporters to chip and wash the temple walls clean of "embarrassing and indecent" portrayal of Indian culture. They weren’t successful in committing such an act though. Here, we are talking about the famous Khajuraho temples of Madhya Pradesh. The psyche behind destroying the temples, as mentioned earlier, is that many find the carvings on the Khajuraho temples as offensive pornographic scenes.
This is, perhaps, where we are all missing the point. Experts believe that tourists and people visiting this site merely for deriving pornographic pleasure and ogling, are just too naïve to understand the basic purpose of constructing these temples. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is far from squalid representation of Kama Sutra. The site, along with 25 remaining temples, elaborates a philosophy of life that employed aesthetic objects to create something inspirational.
For people in that age, kama, was one of the four purusharthas (aims of life), which act as a stepping stone to attain moksha. The carvings further give a glimpse of ancient history, when written records were still not in practise. The 85 original temples covered an area of 21 sqkm, and were dedicated mainly to Vishnu, Shiva and Jain Tirthankaras. A large part of the carvings have been built from pink river sandstone, which the elephants excavated and transported from Ken River, situated 22 km away. It took 25 years to build each temple.

The carvings lead us to wonder what the people of that time thought about sex and bodily pleasures. Records state that these caves are one of the major attractions in India after Taj Mahal. And the temples strikingly reflect Indo-Aryan medieval temple architecture and art, in which the sculptures are based on classical traditions. The build of the temples will further give you an impression that they were fashioned and built during an age of extreme tolerance, when people used to have an integrated outlook on life. Now, back to the sculptures, opinions differ as to why the temples are entirely decorated with sexually explicit carvings. As per the legends, the carvings were part of sexual education in ancient India. Since temples used to be the most visited places during those days, Khajuraho temples served as the bases of spreading awareness. Some also argue that Hindus believe in attaining moksha by following these paths―dharma, artha, yoga, and kama. It is believed that the sculptures were in fact built to assist people in following the kama. Moreover, as the sculptures are limited to the outer walls of the Khajuraho temples, some believe them to be a symbolic gate to heaven.

Another popular belief has it that during that time, Buddhism was prevalent, which was viewed as diverting people from worldly pleasures; thus, the sculptures were the result of fear and an effort to save Hinduism at that time.
More probe into the history of these temples reveals that they were built by the Chandela Dynasty, which had a marked presence in Madhya Pradesh. Built 1000 years ago, these world famous carvings of men and women in erotic positions stand still and depict history. The Chandela Dynasty, however, failed in 13th century, but the remoteness of the temple saved it from getting destroyed. Khajuraho was later rediscovered by British in 1838.

The next time when you visit these temples, know that these walls reflect a bigger story and prove how tolerant India truly is.