One man and many women: some notes on the harem in mainly ancient and medieval India from sundry perspectives

• Authors: David Smith
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This paper is a commentary on the anonymous verse snātā tiṣṭhati kuntaleśvarasutā, where a king is flummoxed by his immediate harem duties. The Hindu harem is placed in the wider context of other female multiplicities, including yoginīs. Postcolonial critiques of western misunderstanding of harems as merely male indulgence are referred to; and so too is Desai’s view that a mystical yantra underlies the most erotic art of Khajuraho. However, kāvya and Hindu art rejoiced in the eroticism of the king and his harem. Evolutionary biology suggests that male sexuality, when overstretched, needs novelty.

Keywords

EN

harem - antahpura; kāvya - court; poetry; sculpture; painting; kingship; court society; sexuality

• Publisher: Księgarnia Akademicka
• Journal: Cracow Indological Studies
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 14
• Pages: 1-16

Contributors

author

David Smith

• Lancaster University

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