Different kinds of Erotic scenes on the temple of Khajuraho :

• Depiction of Ascetics in Erotic scenes :One of the first depiction of ascetics in sexual activity happen on the Lakshmana temple at Khajuraho erected in 954 A.D. On the southern jangha, a clean shaven asctic with danda stands in an auto erotic state near an aristocratic couple. Ascetics, both bushy and clean-shaven, are also seen in the orgiastic scenes on the jagati of this temple.
  Vishvanath temple at Khajuraho (11th C), has symbolize two ascetics with gourd-pots tied to their waist participating in an orgiastic scene.
  A scene from Khajuraho shows a bearded guru who holds the pallus of a clean-shaven shishya. The shishya is in anjali mudra. It is doubtful whether it could be examined as an act of homosexuality.
  

An ascetic with a woman in mutual mouth congress

Ascetics in an orgiastic sceneVishvanatha temple, Khajuraho.

Duladeva temple, Khajuraho

• Portrayal of Royal and Noble persons in erotic art :
  From 900 A.D, royal and aristocratic persons frequently figure in maithuna depictions of temples. A scene on the antarala wall of Kandariya shows an aristocratic person seen in the head-down position.
  Richly dressed persons take part in the bestiality scenes of Khajuraho
• Warriors and Hunting parties in corporation with erotic scenes :
  Warriors and hunting parties are sometimes associated with erotic scenes in medieval temple sculpture. Warriors are portrayed along with women at Khajuraho and many other temples.
• Dancers and Musicians near erotic scenes :
  Dance and music have an significant place in religious orgies. At Khajuraho, dancers and Musicians are placed close to couples and erotic groups. They also become part of erotic scene turning it into revelry.
  The Vishvanath temple, Khajuraho depicts a man having closeness with a woman, who seems to have been forced into the sexual act by another man. Next to them are musicians.
• Placing of erotic motifs on Lotus Pedestals and in the temple-shaped niches :
  The lotus is not just a decorative motif, but an important sacred symbol in Indian art and mythology.
  The assembly of depicting erotic figures was not invented by the artists of Khajuraho, it was a part of larger tradition common at an all-India level.
  There are several hypotheses that attempt to explain the presence of sensual figures in religious art. The controversy that erotic figures represent kama (desire), the third purushartha (aim of life), or that they were designed to test the spiritual energy of the yogis, or that they were intended for sex education, does not stand in the face of the variety and types of figures displayed in the temples.
  

Erotic images arranged on the main wall part - jangha of the temples, are large (about a meter in height) and graceful.
What draws the attention of a fine observer at Khajuraho is not the variety of erotic theme centering around ascetics and aristocratics and their repeated and loud display, but also the placement of these sculptures in the temples.

The apsaras and surasudaries of Khajuraho and other medieval temples are favorable motifs, whose origin can be illustrated to yakshis and fertility figures of early Indian art at Sanchi, Bharhut and Mathura.
One of the notable motifs of Khajuraho artists is- The surasundari undressing to remove a scorpion from her body. This was a poetic invention used to express fertility. Female portrait was regarded as a potent fertility grace. One of the Sanskrit words for scorpion is ‘kharjura’, and this could be related to the ancient name of Khajuraho- Kharjura-Vahaka, which means- date-palm-bearing, scorpion-bearing.

An Apsara disrobing her under clothes, the scorpion on her thigh represent passion. Whether she is afraid of the insect, or she is passionate? The sculpture showing the minute details of her body and the folds of her clothes is placed on Devi Jagdamba temple’s north wall

The space provided by the booth on the antarala walls not only made it necessary for the artists to portray a group of figures, but in course of time there also emerged to be a tendency to change the deities by the erotic figures.

The erotic figures of the two nirandhara prasadas of the early 11th century are not eminently placed as the antarala groups of Kandariya and Vishvanatha temples.
Here, the scenes of -

• A man involved with 2 women
• 
   Attendants helping the couple in sexual activity, but not themselves directly participate in sexual act.
  are portrayed on the upper third row of jangha which is smaller in size than the lower rows.

Big mithunas/couples are seen on the jangha of these temples. Mithunas, as an architectural motif, is one significant favor to the study of erotic art. Mithunas, may or may not be in an erotic relationship, they are classified as:

• Human couples
• Naga Mithunas ( a pair of snakes)
• Hamsa Mithunas ( a pair of swans) and so on.
  

Mithuna, (Devi Jagdamba temple, 11th C, A.D.): In a close sexual hug, the female partner grips the top knot of her lover, the act being exchanged by him. The rhythmic flow of their bodies and the movement of the hands are marked, while the minimum clothing and ornaments show the compact flesh of their bodies.
The sectarian affiliation of the temple is not the determining factor in the treatment of erotic motifs on the temples.
The confinement of erotic motifs to the unfrequented corners of some of the temples, suggests the belief in efficacy of sex depiction in averting evils and securing the safety of the temple.
Some of the sculptures seem to represent magico-religious themes, eg bestiality scenes where an animal is having contact with a women, hair-cutting rite along with copulation, a child bearing women near erotic couples, erotic motifs placed on lotus pedestals and in temple-shaped niches, nagas, mithunas, nudity-exposing males and females etc.