Demi-gods or Yakshinis {यक्षिणी (female of यक्ष)}

At the museum we saw beautiful examples of artwork made from sandstone that have been prevalent in India since ancient times (circa 3200 BC). It was a popular building material at that time which was relatively soft and therefore easy to carve. It was used to construct temples. Interestingly we found that it was used worldwide in the construction of cathedrals, homes, and other buildings.

This carving is a Surasundari - an exquisite example of a carved sculpture of a beautiful female form.

Surasundari is a Yakshini {यक्षिणी (female of यक्ष)}. These are beautiful human spirits endowed with some special powers but are not gods in the conventional Hindu philosophy. Those who pray to these demi-gods and please them receive favours in business, agriculture or even love life. Believers can also get beautiful children of their desired gender and intellect.

It is said that some of these Surasundari figures are erotic in nature and that having erotic sculptures or decorative motifs on a temple was protective and auspicious. We discovered during the tour, that at the time of their creation (c.950 – 1050 BC) Hindu people were attracted towards Buddhism which favoured sexual abstinence. So having these kinds of erotic sculptures was thought to be a way of luring them back to the Hindu religion, the temple and encouraging procreation.

The Khajuraho temple complex was built during the reign of the Chandelas of Jejakabhukti, an Indian dynasty in central India. It took over 100 years to complete its different parts. There were 85 temples, of which only 22 remain in existence today. Most of the temples were looted and destroyed by Muslim invaders from the Delhi Sultanates. The main remaining temples include Kandariya Mahadeva, Lakshmana, and Matangesvara.

The Surasundari can be found in the Traditions in Sculpture gallery at the National Museum of Scotland.