It is thought that the man and woman in erotic embrace, as so vividly portrayed in the temples of Khajuraho, signify the ultimate union of the soul with the divine. The Tantric Indian Sects who invested sex with a ritual symbolism considered yoga (spiritual exercise) and bhoga (physical pleasure) to be alternative paths leading to the same goal: the attainment of final deliverance. According to these sects, the controlled enjoyment of the senses was a surer, as well as easier, way to salvation.

The philosophy of the age dictated the enjoyment of the delights of artha, (material wealth) and kama (sensual pleasures) while performing one's dharma (duty) as the accepted way of life for the grihastha (householder). Hence, the powerful combination of the visual and sensual pleasures combined with the duty attributed to the worship of the dieties brings about a powerful transformation of the body and the soul. To include all of these aspects of life in one's early years makes it easier to renounce them without regret or attachment as one moves on to one's next stages of life toward moksha (liberation).

When, a thousand years ago, the bells rang in these temples and the priests and the worshipers bowed low before the dieties, all around arose a city of golden prosperity and glittering life. Legend tells us that the ruler who is said to have started the building of the temples was a descendant of the moon god. He built them to honor his mother.

The temples of Khajuraho belong to that stage in the development of religious art in India where sculpture and architecture were perfectly integrated. Of the 85 original temples built between the 9th and 12th centuries only 20 still stand today. They are considered the high point of Indian architectural genius in the medieval period.

Most of the temples are built of sandstone in varying shades of buff, pink or pale yellow. They each belong to a different sect, the Shiva, Vaishnava or Jaina Sects, but are often indistinguishable from one another to the untrained eye. The temples are lofty, with ample walking space separating them. The interior rooms are interconnected and placed in an east/west line. Each contains an entrance, a hall, a vestibule and a sanctum. Windows were added to the larger temples to add a feeling of space and light.

The openings face east with lavishly carved archways. The interior ceilings are carved with geometrical and floral designs. The roofs are a series of graded peaks that resemble a mountain range and in all probability, represent the possibility of higher levels of spiritual attainment. Erotic scenes represent a relatively small part of the carvings, but sensuous eroticism prevails throughout all of the sculptures. In general, lower indulgences appear lower on the temple while the dieties appear near the top. The goddesses and gods represent the many manifestations of the divine Shakti and Shiva, the female and male principles, the Yin and the Yang.