In ancient India, handbooks were illustrated with techniques of lovemaking. A prime example is the celebrated Kama Sutra, penned between the 2nd and 5th centuries A.D.

Such erotic guidebooks, featuring miniature paintings of lovemaking, were popular at the courts, particularly in feudal Rajahstan, where they added spice to the mahajah´s harem. Sex was perceived not just as a physical act, but as a sacred ritual activity, in which the act of intercourse was considered an essential ritual of initiation into a higher realm of spiritual knowledge.