‘The freedom and beauty of the green outdoors—soft beds of grass and ferns; the caress of the breeze; the scent of flowers; birdsong and moonlight—inflame desire in the nayak (hero) and the nayika (heroine) in ancient and medieval Indian art and literature… Whether the nayak and nayika be mortals or gods, love is always erotic, and its most beautiful expression happens in the lap of nature, as the lovers give themselves to each other without inhibition beneath the open sky.’
In this exquisite book, one of India’s most respected authorities on art, aesthetics and pre-modern sexuality brings us images that celebrate erotic love in the outdoors. With a brilliant introduction providing the context, she has put together glorious visual evidence of the freedom that lovers once enjoyed in South Asia.
About the Author
Alka Pande trained as an art historian and has written prolifically on Art History, gender and sexuality and erotic Indian literature and art. Her books include Masterpieces of Indian Art; Shringara: The Many Faces of Indian Beauty; The New Age Kamasutra for Women and Pha(bu)llus: A Cultural History. She was awarded the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2006 by the French government.
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