Update: We had inadvertently mentioned the group's name as Bajrang Dal. We have corrected it to Bajrang Sena.
A group of right-wing activists are very concerned about the sale of Kamasutra books at the premises of the iconic Khajuraho Temple in Madhya Pradesh. A temple that's known for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures. To repeat, erotic sculptures.
On Tuesday, members of Bajrang Sena went to the Chhatarpur police, alleging that selling Kamasutra books and obscene figurines inside the premises of the Unesco world heritage site is against India's culture and tradition.
According to a Hindustan Times report, Bajrang Sena's president of the Khajuraho unit, Jyoti Agarwal, submitted a memorandum of their demands to the sub-divisional officer of police, Khajuraho, Israr Mansouri.
"Such things affect the image of Indian culture and traditions in the eyes of the foreigners," Agarwal told HT. Agarwal tried justifying his demand by saying that Kamasutra can't be sold in "sacred premises".
The police official has said that they will consult the Archeological Survey of India and tourism department and take action accordingly.
In case Mr Agarwal wasn't aware, some scholars say that the erotic arts on the walls of temple are part of Hindu tradition of treating kama as an essential and proper part of human life. In fact, it's depicted in a lot of other Hindu temples. The temple finds a mention in James McConnachie's book 'In Search of the Kamasutra', where it's described as "the apogee of erotic art."
Here are a couple of photos of the sculptures at Khajuraho:
We are not sure how the Bajrang Sena activists will feel about these.
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