Most erotic painting in India was of men and women so to find a lesbian scene is unusual (bearing in mind, of course, that Hindu gods sometimes changed sex!). Agent Triple P doesn't know what period this painting is from but given its finished nature and style we would guess it is nineteenth century; a period when the kings of Mysore were publishing extensively illustrated erotic books.
Lesbians were not outcasts in ancient India as they were elsewhere. Indeed the Sanskrit word svairini used to descibe them refers to an independent or liberated woman who has refused a husband, earns her own livelihood, and lives either alone or in marriage with another woman.
Indian erotica is unusual in that it never conveys any sense of the illicit, forbidden or sordid. The pursuit of kama (pleasue) is a key pillar in a Hindu attaining salvation. Unlike Chinese and Japanese erotic art which was confined to scrolls and albums most Indian erotic art was done as individual paintings. These were for display not hiding away somewhere. Indian erotic art is unique in that it was also included in the decoration of rooms, buildings and furniture.
These attractive ladies, disporting themselves with the help of dildos, certainly seem to be pursuing their pleasure very actively!
