Mithuna
Topic: Early Indian Art and Architecture: Stupas, Rock-cut Caves, Temples · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A mithuna is a sculpture of a loving couple, a man and a woman shown together. Such couples were carved as auspicious signs, meaning signs of good luck, fertility and well-being. They appear on early Buddhist monuments and later became common on Hindu and Jaina temple walls. They show that religious art also celebrated everyday life and joy, not only gods and saints.
Example
Large, graceful couples are carved at the entrance of the Satavahana-period chaitya hall at Karla, near Lonavala (Maharashtra). Much later, mithuna figures fill the walls of temples at Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh) and Konark (Odisha).
Don't confuse with
- Yaksha and yakshi: mithunas are paired human couples, carved for good luck. Yakshas and yakshis are nature spirits, usually shown as single figures.
Related concepts
- Vessantara Jataka
- Aniconic representation of the Buddha
- Dharmachakra
- Shalabhanjika
- Gajalakshmi
- Yaksha and yakshi
- Didarganj Yakshi
- Parkham Yaksha
- Saptamatrikas
- James Fergusson