The apadravya, like the

ampallang The palang ( iba, crossbar), or ampallang is a male genital piercing that penetrates horizontally through the entire glans of the penis. History Penis piercings of proto-Malay origin predated European contact with tribes in (among others) the ...

, is a piercing that passes through the glans. While the ampallang passes horizontally through the glans, the apadravya passes vertically through the glans from top to bottom, almost always placed centrally and passing through the

urethra The urethra (from Greek οὐρήθρα – ''ourḗthrā'') is a tube that connects the urinary bladder to the urinary meatus for the removal of urine from the body of both females and males. In human females and other primates, the urethra con ...

. It can be paired with an ampallang to form the magic cross. Off-center apadravyas are also possible, wherein the piercing is deliberately offset, yet usually still passes through the urethra. The piercing is often done on a slightly forward angle to the hips.

Terminology

''Apadravya'' ( sa, अपद्रव्य) is the generic name used in Kama Sutra for

prostheses In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...

to increase the size of penis during intercourse, primarily to satisfy a woman classified as ''hastini'' (हस्तिनी, 'she-elephant'). Fixing an apadravya by perforating the

lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional im ...

is mentioned as a peculiarity of the "southern countries." Such definition is supposedly illustrative of palang (

crossbar Crossbar may refer to: Structures * Latch (hardware), a post barring a door * Top tube of a bicycle frame * Crossbar, the horizontal member of various sports goals * Crossbar, a horizontal member of an electricity pylon Other * In electronic ...

Iban IBAN or Iban or Ibán may refer to: Banking * International Bank Account Number Ethnology * Iban culture * Iban language * Iban people Given name Cycling * Iban Iriondo (born 1984) * Iban Mayo (born 1977) * Iban Mayoz (born 1981) Football * ...

) and other penis inserts of

proto-Malay The term Proto-Malay, which translates to ''Melayu Asli'' (aboriginal Malay) or ''Melayu Purba'' (ancient Malay) or ''Melayu Tua'' (old Malay), refers to Austronesian speakers, possibly from mainland Asia, who moved to the Malay peninsula and ...

origins. Indeed, traditional palang design is simply a pin used to accommodate a wooden glans cape extension and hence, the term apadravya in this context refers to the glans cape extension and not to the palang itself. Nevertheless, it was Doug Malloy in the 1970s who labelled the vertical glans piercing as "apadravya" and the horizontal one as "ampallang."Ampallangs and Apadravyas
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Procedure

An apadravya is usually done in one session, though sometimes in two; the first creating a

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

and the second (after healing) completing the apadravya. Straight barbells are the usual jewelry for apadravya piercings. The barbell must be long enough to accommodate erection and initial swelling. The apadravya is usually pierced with a slightly longer barbell than required for a fully healed piercing, and downsizing the length can be required. The barbell can also end with the second ball inside the urethra. The diameter of the initial barbell is usually 2.0 or 2.4 mm (12 or 10 gauge). The healing time of an apadravya piercing can vary greatly depending on healing rate and diligence of the aftercare. Usually one can have penetrative intercourse with a

condom A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of in ...

after about one month, although the person with the piercing will still feel pain. Normally it takes at least three to nine months for the piercing to fully heal. After initial healing the piercing can be gradually stretched and larger jewelry can be inserted, reaching sizes above 10 mm in diameter. The piercing should be done in three steps. First a catheter is inserted. Then the needle up from the bottom into the catheter to ensure straightness and that its actually going through the urethra. Then the catheter is removed and the needle pushed up to the top of the glans. Because it passes through the most sensitive part of the penis, the procedure is among the most painful of male genital piercings.

Functions

Apadravya is one of the functional genital piercings; it enhances sexual pleasure. Compared to the more common Prince Albert (and its counterpart

Reverse Prince Albert piercing The Reverse Prince Albert piercing (RPA) is a form of male genital piercing. Characteristics The reverse Prince Albert piercing enters through the urethra and exits through a hole pierced in the top of the glans. Because it passes through this th ...

), apadravya has the advantage of stimulating in both

rear entry Doggy style is a sex position in which a person bends over, crouches on all fours (usually on hands and knees), or lies on their abdomen, for sexual intercourse, other forms of sexual penetration or other sexual activity. Doggy style is a f ...

and

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

. It is generally thought of as the most pleasurable for female sexual partners because, compared to Prince Albert, it reportedly allows stimulation of both the G-spot and A-spot in vaginal intercourse. Some men choose to wear special vibrating jewellery during sex, which further enhances pleasure. Sometimes the apadravya is referred to as ''happydravya'' because it is said that having sex with a person who has this piercing is highly pleasurable.

Variations

Variations include the ''

shaft apadravya Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around whi ...

'' which pierces the shaft (uncommon, and not performed by many piercers); the magic cross which is a combination of the apadravya and the

; and th
apadydoe
If the penis has been subincised or meatotomized, the piercing is called a halfadravya.

References

External links