In Hinduism, the two concepts meld into one another-indivisible and eternal as the cosmos. Kama Sutra Nowhere is this more evident than in the erotic temple carvings of Khajuraho in northern India, where spirituality and sensuality, playfulness and profundity meet in a joyous celebration of life, energy and passion. It is a gloriously sunny, but mild January morning and the temples are silhouetted against a deep blue sky. Tourists cluster around their guides; some of them gaze bemused at the explicit sexual positions depicted on the walls, others snicker and exchange sly winks. My own guide, Jagdip, is an earnest young man and he has his spiel down pat. It is adorned with divine and semi-divine figures -- celestial dancers, heavenly beauties, musicians, cherubs and, above all, several amorous couples. In one frieze, a voluptuous woman, her hip out-thrust, looks flirtatiously up at her partner; he looks adoringly down at her while cupping one of her full, rounded breasts in his palm. Along the base of another temple an elaborately carved band runs around the parameter depicting couplings in every conceivable position. Standing in front of the Kandriaya Mahadeva temple, I goggle at a pose so contorted it prompts me to remark, "How could they possibly be enjoying this. The arousal of sensual passion also brings with it a karmic awakening, and a god such as Shiva, the Destroyer and the malevolent goddess Kali, are yoked to pure energy ("shakti") a force that fuels the universe and all things within it. Sexuality and spirituality went hand in hand even before the temples in Khajuraho took shape. Back in the sixth century AD a scholar, Vatsyayana, who was (get this. This instruction manual not only lists 64 sexual positions but also gravely discusses a wide range of philosophical concepts such as Dharma, (virtuous living), Artha, (material prosperity) Kama (aesthetic and erotic pleasure) and Moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirth). Indian erotic paintings mirror the sculptures that adorn Khajuraho. Like the amorous couples on the temple facades, paintings depict curvaceous women and well endowed men gazing tenderly into each other's eyes while engaged in sexual couplings. About the same time as the Kama Sutra was written, professional temple dancers known as Devadasis were to be found in temples throughout India. Young virgins, dedicated to the temple deity, were trained as erotic dancers; their role was also to pleasure patrons in the temple precincts using techniques described in the Kama Sutra. Today's India, in fact, seethes with repressed sexuality. Arranged marriages are the norm, so many couples come as virgins to the nuptial bed. But for the shy there is a whole world of sexual voyeurism -- Bollywood movies. Indian movies do more than cater to the lascivious. They feature dramatic tales of human passion and divine adoration. They speak to universal emotions; they transcend time. Travel Writers' Tales is an independent newspaper syndicate that offers professionally written travel articles to newspapers.