Tantric Lovers (Maithuna)

A small iconography

This half-relief plate shows a pair of lovers in sexual union, alluding to the style of the famous tempels of Khajuraho (India), whose 1000-year-old architecture has been declared world cultural heritage site by the UNESCO. This unique form of erotic art aimed to pay tribute to the gods and to the glory of life. In Shakti-Yoga, the man takes a passive role, while the female is the active one; the goal of this teaching is reaching wholeness by uniting opposites – consequently, the goddess here adopts male mannerisms, while he becomes the receptive, feminine counterpart.

In vedic Sanskrit philosophy, particular importance is attached to the fingers – to highlight the lover´s delight, the woman forms a Yoni (vulva) with her hand, while he makes a penis-like gesture with his thumb, representing Bhairava, a majestic and powerful incarnation of Shiva.

Tantra being far more than just an erotic form of Yoga, a skull and a flower are to be seen at the bottom of the skulpture, a reminder of the polarity of life and death. A copulating pair of frogs suggest that the erotic force is present in all forms of life.