Maithuna Relief at the Lakshmana Temple

This high-relief stone sculpture depicts a frieze of figures in various sexual positions. On the left, a kneeling figure performs fellatio on a standing figure, while a woman standing behind adjusts her hair. To the right, a woman bends forward at the waist while a male figure approaches from behind to engage in intercourse, and another figure stands adjacent. The figures are rendered with traditional Indian sculptural proportions, characterized by soft musculature, lack of clothing, and expressive, calm facial features.

Located on the exterior walls of the Lakshmana Temple in Khajuraho, these maithuna (sexual union) carvings reflect Hindu traditions that integrate worldly desire (kama) into the spiritual journey toward liberation (moksha). They are often interpreted as apotropaic charms, representations of tantric rituals, or symbols of the union of the individual soul with the divine.