38.Khajuraho Laksmana south wall mithuna

The image shows a series of sandstone relief carvings set within recessed architectural niches. In the center, a man and a woman are joined in a coital embrace; the man is behind the woman, his arms encircling her, while her legs are raised. They are surrounded by standing figures: a woman on the far left adjusting her hair, a male attendant holding a rod, a woman to the right of the couple, and a deity figure holding a lotus or ritual object on the far right. The figures exhibit the idealized proportions, heavy jewelry, and ornate headgear characteristic of the Chandela dynasty, with their bodies depicted in subtle tribhanga (triple-bend) poses.

The mithuna sculptures of the Khajuraho temples, built by the Chandela dynasty, are often interpreted through the lens of Tantric philosophy, where the union of opposites serves as a metaphor for the blissful, non-dual realization of Brahman or the interplay of Shiva and Shakti. These carvings are associated with various esoteric Hindu traditions that emphasize the transmutation of worldly desire into spiritual insight.