Is nothing sacred? The Kama Sutra, the world’s oldest erotic guide, has entered the 21st century with a new app that displays its myriad sex positions in 3-D, reports the Guardian.
Computer geeks have clearly had fun transforming the ancient Hindu illustrations into digital images that can be viewed via smartphone or tablet. Each image in the Kama Xcitra can be gazed at from all possible angles, giving users 360-degree views of each coital contortion.
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“For more than 2,000 years couples have turned to the Kama Sutra for advice and guidance on how to have a fulfilling love life,” said Hazel Cushion, managing director of publisher Xcite Books. “But some of the more challenging positions, like the Prone Tiger, the Catherine Wheel or the Peg, have left readers a little baffled. That is, until now.”
The app comes for free with a new translation of the text and contains elaborate digital representations of 69 sultry positions, which users can access by holding the illustration from the book up to the camera in their smartphone or tablet. Users can also add music and adjust the appearance of the copulating models to their individual tastes, reports the Daily Mail.
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The Kama Sutra is based on ancient Indian Hindu philosophies and has been livening up bedroom antics for around two millennia, according to experts. The original Sanskrit work was first translated into English in 1883 under the auspices of renowned Victorian explorer Richard Burton. It remains a cardinal work on human sexuality to this day.
However, experts argue that commonly-held Western view that the Kama Sutra is simply a ‘how-to sex manual’ is mistaken. “[Kama Sutra author/editor] Vatsyayana’s purpose is to set kama, or enjoyment of the senses, in context,” explains British-Indian writer Indra Sinha. “Thus dharma or virtuous living is the highest aim, artha, the amassing of wealth is next, and kama is the least of three.”
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