Kamasutra work by Vatsyayana Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kamasutra Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kamasutra Also known as: “Kāmasūtra” Written by Wendy Doniger Wendy Doniger is the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions in the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. Her research and teaching interests revolve around two... Wendy Doniger, Charles Preston Charles Preston is Associate Editor for Religion at Encyclopædia Britannica. Charles PrestonAll Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jun 24, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Kamasutra, the oldest extant Indian prose treatise (sutra) on the subject of pleasure (kama)—sexual pleasure, desire, love, and the pleasures of good living generally conceived. Popularly known for its depiction of positions for sexual intercourse, the text is more broadly about the life of pleasure, focusing on an adult man of leisure, the women in his life, and their social and physical encounters. The work is part of a tradition of eroticism in Hinduism—including sexual analogies in the Upanishads, Tantric practices, the god Krishna’s amorous adventures in the Bhagavata Purana, and the sexually explicit carvings at the Khajuraho temple complex—to ...(100 of 1828 words)

　　Access the full article Help support true facts by becoming a member. Subscribe today!