May 06, 2008 06:36 PM
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(Updated Oct 09, 2008 04:31 PM)
*Never in my imagination did I think that Hoysala artisans attained such pinnacle of sculpting virtually by default the hand of god. They were inspired by the heavenly blessings endowed along with the soap stone found in abundance in and around Hassan district. The erotica hidden in the monuments of Halebid, reveal the flavour of the artisans and times.*
*The claim of Khajuraho temples being constructed between 950 to 1050 AD and Hoysaleswara temple built during 1121 AD for almost 100 years and still incomplete seems a little jigsaw puzzle, which is yet to be solved by any historian. If Muhammad Ghazni who invaded India seventeen times, primarily to target Indian wealth and convert local populace between 1001-1027 AD, he would have plundered Khajuraho temples. Between 1009 A.D and 1026 A.D he invaded Kangra, Thaneshwar, Kanauj, Mathura, Gwalior, Kashmir and Punjab. Between 1175 to 1206 AD, another tyrant Mohammad Ghori plundered India almost 7 times, in the region of Benares, Gwalior, Ajmer and Mathura. Therefore the claim of Khajuraho being built in 1050 AD and remaining intact seems highly improbable. The erotica at Khajuraho temples were definitely of 1300 AD and beyond.*
*The surmise being that Halebid seems to be trail blazer in erotica which was exposed in a limited fashion. The culmination of erotica took its shades in the Khajuraho temples by the descendents of the artisans who may have migrated to North India for greener pastures. *
*I hope one day the truth will emerge that Halebid was the finest example of erotic finesse prevailing in the ancient times. If some historians can work on this angle we shall pride ourselves being innovators rather than followers of the trend.*
