Erotic Carvings at Suchindram Temple

This could be a long tale about losing my cell phone, retracing my steps to find it, to no avail, but that's not why you're reading this, let's be honest.  The title says "erotic" and that's what made you stop and read it. This temple isn't even listed as one of the erotic temples of India, as far as my searches show, but there are 1108 pillars with carvings of all sorts of people and animals (I didn't count them, I believe what I read) and I'd estimate 25% are sexual, but not as in people doing it.
A brief listing of some show stoppers:  figure with elongated breasts, sort of trumpet shaped (wide end on the chest) ending in penis-head-nipples; a woman with an ecstatic expression, standing with legs apart, knees bent, dog between her legs, snout in her yoni (vagina);  figure sucking on its own long curvey lingum (penis) emerging from its big-lipped yoni, no breasts.
Plenty of run-of-the mill figures with erections, some large enough to go 'round their necks and then some.
A few couples coupling.
Every animal figure has an identifiable gender: testicles, udders, some erections.
The manner of worship in the temples includes much rubbing of statues, carvings, objects generally, including applying ghee, rose water, garlands, (all sold in the temple if you didn't bring it along) then touching oneself around the face that is reminiscent of crossing oneself.  Sometimes the ghee is lit, so things are flaming too.  The figure sucking its own long long dick is especially dark from ghee around the mouth and all along the shaft; the woman and dog is heavily rubbed on the breasts but nowhere else.  The breasts cum penises is untouched.
What does it all mean???
(One unconvincing explanation is that it teaches young monks who will leave the temple priesthood after some years about what to expect in life outside. What? Let me know if you've got a lingum coming out of a yoni that you suck, please. I'll keep it confidential, promise.)