The Hindu Temple: Deification of Eroticism - Softcover

Daniélou, Alain; Danielou, Alain

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0892818549 ISBN 13: 9780892818549

Publisher: Inner Traditions, 2001

Synopsis

Danielou's masterpiece on the erotic nature of the sacred symbolism of the Hindu temple.

· Includes stunning photographs from the major temple complexes of India.

· By Alain Danielou, one of the greatest authorities on Hinduism.

Ancient Indian architectural treatises state that a temple lacking erotic imagery would be ineffective and maleficent. The erotic statues and representations that cover the outer and inner walls of the Hindu temple serve both a magical and an instructional purpose. Through the power of the yantras--the magical diagrams created by the placement of the erotic imagery--the architect made the temple a faithful reflection of the divine. At the same time this imagery educated the faithful about the fundamental aspects of the Hindu religion, wherein the union of opposites in the sexual act is the perfect image of the creative principle, and erotic enjoyment is a reflection of divine bliss.

Alain Danielou's masterpiece on the Hindu temple, now translated for the first time into English, provides a stunningly illustrated tour of the major temple complexes of India. The erotic sculptures that cover the walls of these temples are not merely symbolic portrayals of voluptuous acts but serve as profound reminders that man is closest to the divine during the instant of sexual transcendence.

About this title

Review:

Tucked away in remote Indian jungles are little-known masterpieces of Hindu architecture. What these temples mean and how they were used are the subjects of Alain Danielou's introduction to these magnificent Shaivite structures. Lifelong Indologist and translator of the Kama Sutra, Danielou gives us a grand tour of these temples by drawing from accounts in ancient texts. In very short segments, he directs us to the temple plan, the architect, erotic representations, the meanings of life, the sanctuary, and other aspects of the temple and its erotic sculpture and symbols. Originally published in two French titles, The Hindu Temple includes original photographs by Raymond Burnier and others who trekked across India to capture these out-of-the-way temples on film. The photographs, along with a number of exceptional color plates, suffer slightly in quality, but the effect is not lost. The Hindu Temple is a noteworthy introduction to a spirituality that Danielou claims to be the fountainhead of the all religions. Whether or not true, the art and the power live and still inspire today. --Brian Bruya

From the Author:

Alain Danielou spent twenty years in India studying music and philosophy with eminent scholars of the Hindu tradition. He is the author of more than thirty books on the religion, history, and arts of India and the Mediterranean, including While the Gods Play, The Myths and Gods of India, Yoga: Mastering the Secrets of Matter and the Universe, and The Complete Kama Sutra.

About this edition

• Publisher: Inner Traditions
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0892818549
• ISBN 13: 9780892818549
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128