Kamasutra

The term Kamasutra comes from an ancient Hindu book that was probably written in Sanskrit as early as the third century. Summarized, Kamasutra literally means teaching about desire. In fact, it is the oldest surviving book dealing with eroticism. The book entitled Kamasutra was written by Vatsyayana Mallanga. Little is known about the author, except for his name. Although the Kama Sutra texts are mainly about erotic love, contrary to popular belief, they are not exclusively about various sex positions. Rather, they also deal with other topics. These include the way of living well, the search for a life partner, and caring for one's own sex life. The sexual content that most people associate with the Kama Sutra today became known in Western culture at the end of the 19th century. A British explorer brought the Kama Sutra manual back from the colony of India and translated it. The description of the exotic sex positions soon made the Kama Sutra famous throughout Europe. The drawings and woodcuts in which the Kama Sutra positions are graphically depicted are also well-known. These were created much later, however, as the original book did not contain any illustrations.

In everyday language, the Kamasutra is still often used as a synonym for intertwined sexual intercourse that brings unspeakable pleasure or even enlightenment. Moreover, the term stands for sex in positions that require physical contortions. The part of the book that deals with other areas of love is largely ignored today, or more precisely, never spoken of. Yet, these different areas are inextricably linked in the Kama Sutra, making it more of a holistic philosophy of life than a purely instructional book. The original book consists of 1,250 verses divided into 36 chapters. It is divided into seven different sections (books). The Kama Sutra uses a mixture of prose and poetry, with the two main characters referred to as nayaka (man) and nayika (woman). The Kama Sutra also describes some homosexual sex practices. The second section (book) is predominantly about the sexual content often associated with the Kama Sutra and talked about today. In it, 64 different types of sexual acts are described. They range from hugging, to 26 different types of kissing, to aggressive/crude acts such as holding or giving pats. One whole chapter describes oral sex in particular, another the rules for biting with the teeth. The sex positions described in the Kama Sutra are partly derived from yoga positions. Some have poetic names such as Embrace with Milk and Water, Queen of Heaven or Bamboo Splitting. Others have animal names like tigress, elephant, or monkey. All of these are certainly a great change from the traditional positions that are mostly practised in German bedrooms.