Thanbk you Sachin, that is my point exactly. How, when & why the original statues, such as the vast temples in Madurai & surrounding areas where such temples were, nor the temples around the rest of India is not in question. But if anyone can name any of the Gods & Goddesses which are depicted in the nude carvings in stone, wood or marble etc I would welcome this. I have no problem with nuditiy in any of its forms but to portray the deities in the nude is one thing, which is objectional enough, but to show them in sexaul poses with animals etc, this is beyond contempt. My post in response ealier was rejected because it was deemed inappropriate by the moderators. This was because I had compared like for like with another religion & it was rejected for this reason. Blasphemy is ok when you demean the Hindu Gods & Goddesses then. Erotism is one thing but showing a Goddess practicing beastialty is another, but none of the Gods & Goddesses are posed in the nude or in any other pose other than standing or sitting, fully clothed. Never naked. If anything like this exists then it must have been made thousands of years ago, or as recently as the last hundred years, or in MF Hussain case, I am told 50 / 60 years ago. It does not make it right to deride another persons religion, no matter who you are. John Monteiro
Sachin Phadte <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote To my comment: "As far as "many" temples with nude carvings, the statement would give an impression that there is a very significant numbers of such temples. I do not think there is a single temple in Goa with nude carvings." Santosh Helekar responded as follows: "This is not true. There are at least a few temples in Goa, and many in India with temple friezes with nude figurines. Please see an earlier Goanet post on this with a link to actual pictures from the Kamat Potpourri site: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/msg35594.html " I stand corrected that there are no temples in Goa with nude carvings. There are, however, two issues. One is the rule and the exception. The second, and more important, is whether the nude/erotic paintings/carvings in Hindu temples are those of the Hindu gods and goddesses. M F Husain has painted the Hindu deities in this manner, and that is what is objectionable. Sachin Phadte
