Apsara

Lore & Background

The most ancient descriptions of apsaras portray them as water nymph-like beings. The Rigveda tells of an apsara who is the wife of Gandharva, with the only specifically named apsara being Urvashi, who appears in a hymn about her colloquy with her mortal lover Pururavas. Later Hindu scriptures allow for numerous apsaras, acting as handmaidens of Indra or dancers at his celestial court. The Kaushitaki Upanishad mentions them as a class of divinities associated with ointments, garlands, vestments, and powdered aromatics. Their origin is described in the Ramayana and Puranas, often linked to the churning of the ocean and water sports.

In the Mahabharata, apsaras appear in important supporting roles, with lists of principal apsaras such as Ghritachi, Menaka, Rambha, Tilottama, and Urvashi. They are described as employed in enticing the hearts of individuals practicing rigid austerities, dancing with slim waists and fair large hips. A recurring theme is an apsara sent to distract a sage from his ascetic practices, as in the story of the sage Vishvamitra and the apsara Menaka, who gave birth to the epic heroine Shakuntala. The apsara Tilottama rescued the world from the asura brothers Sunda and Upasunda, and Urvashi attempted to seduce the hero Arjuna.

Reader's Guide

Apsaras hold significant cultural and artistic importance across South Asia and Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, they are a key motif in the stone bas-reliefs of Angkorian temples, such as Angkor Wat (built 1113–1150 AD), which features over 1,796 devata images and smaller apsara decorative motifs. The Bayon temple includes some 6,250 dancing apsaras, often depicted on lotus flowers. The Hall of Dancers at Ta Prohm temple is adorned with lintels featuring dancing apsaras in long rows. In Gandharan art, apsaras were originally portrayed as winged beings placing garlands at a stupa, later depicted crowning the Buddha, with speculation that the imagery of Nike influenced their development. This imagery was adapted into the Feitian dancing-girl imagery in Chinese Buddhism. The Natya Shastra, a principal work of dramatic theory, lists 26 apsaras. In Japan, apsaras are known as Tennin, with female Tennin called Tennyo and male Tennin called Tennan. The apsaras are often compared to the Muses of Ancient Greece, as the 26 apsaras of Indra's court each symbolize a different facet of the performing arts.

Did You Know?

• The word 'apsara' is derived from Sanskrit अप्सरस्, with an etymology of अप् + √सृ, meaning 'going in the waters or between the waters of the clouds'.
• In the Mahabharata, the apsara Tilottama rescued the world from the asura brothers Sunda and Upasunda.
• The apsara Menaka gave birth to the epic heroine Shakuntala after seducing the sage Vishvamitra.
• In Cambodia, female figures that are dancing or poised to dance are considered apsaras, while those standing still and facing forward are called devatas.