The Hindu mythology is jam-packed with stories of how a woman’s beauty changes the course of time and turns the outcome into another direction altogether. These divine nymphs are known as ‘apsaras’ in the Hindu texts. They are performers in the court of the Dev King Indra and there are numerous stories where the Devs and the Gods have, with the help of these women and their beauty, turned critical situations into their own favour.
Apsaras have been a consistent part of Hinduism, having an insightful presence in Vedic literature. The commonality lies in the fact that these beautiful creations were females with captivating powers and immense dedication to their creators.
The Rigveda mentions these Apsaras as aquatic nymphs. Atharva veda introduces Apsaras as the inhabitants of the waters. It discusses their heavenly association with the stars, clouds and rain. The Satapatha Brahmana Samhita often describes Apsaras as transforming themselves into a kind of a marine bird. The Apsaras are seen in close contact with the woods and the wet. The Atharvaveda puts forward that the Apsaras are fond of the dice game and create the basis to bring in fortune at the dice play. They are also feared as causing mental void.
There are two (2) types of Apsaras
1. Aloukika (worldly)
2. Daivika (Divine)
The apsara who seduces the sage is a common trope in Hindu mythology and can be considered together with the narrative in which a divine woman seduces a king. Whoever the woman, her time on earth is short for she must return to the heavens once she has achieved her purpose — either breaking an ascetic’s penance or, producing sons for a king.
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The story of Menaka and Vishwamitra is perhaps the best known of the apsara-sage stories. It is simple enough, perhaps even paradigmatic, creating the trope rather than sustaining it. Indra is worried about the intensity of Vishwamitra’s ascetic practice as it would give the sage enormous powers.
He sends Menaka to seduce him and nullify his penance. Menaka enters the forest where Vishwamitra is absorbed in his penance and transforms it into a beautiful garden. Then, Vayu blows by and lifts Menaka’s garments. Vishwamitra opens his eyes to see an exquisitely beautiful woman, almost naked, standing before him in a lush and lovely garden. Of course, he drops his ascetic practice and makes love to her.
Soon, a child is born to them, a girl, and Menaka returns to heaven, leaving her lover and her daughter behind. Vishwamitra abandons the child in a patch of reeds where she is cared for by birds. The sage Kanva finds her and takes her home, naming her Shakuntala after the birds that had looked after her. In another more elaborate version of the story, Menaka unexpectedly falls in love with Vishwamitra.
She tells him the truth — that she was sent to seduce him in order to destroy his penance. Vishwamitra is outraged and though he loves her too, curses her to be forever separated from him and their child. A heart-broken Menaka goes away, never to return.
Menaka is a pathetic figure in the second story, the one who draws and holds our sympathy. She loses the man she loves and her daughter because she made the mistake of falling in love. But the curse is an interesting one — if Vishwamitra loved her, he should also be devastated by their separation. However, whether or not he was in love with Menaka, whether or not she went back to heaven of her own accord, Vishwamitra’s ascetic life continues as before.
He has no attachments, no more distractions, he can resume his quest for power. If Menaka did not fall in love with him, we can assume that her life, too, continues as before in Indra’s court. We might think that she abandoned her child of her own free will, being an apsara and not an ordinary woman. The semiotics of the apsara are interesting — forever young, forever beautiful, never attached, always willing to seduce, even willing to bear children, if she must.
She is the ultimate male fantasy, a sexually idealised woman whose promiscuity has no consequences. A variant of this fantasy are the women who constantly get their virginity back — their male partners can take pleasure in both their social and sexual restoration.
Another famed tale is that of Urvashi. Once Indra sent all of his apasras to hault the severe tapasya of Nara-Narayan (twin brother incarnation of Lord Vishnu) to prevent them from becoming more powerful. The brothers were angered upon witnessing the apsaras who came to destroy their penance.
Nara-Narayan patted their thighs and then was born a beautiful woman called Urvashi. Urvashi was the most beautiful amongst all women on earth as well as on heaven. Apasras saw Urvashi and ran away to heaven in shame. Indra upon knowing the situation apologized to the twin brothers and was eventually forgiven and Urvashi was sent to heaven.
The story of Mohini is no less popular in the world of Apsaras. Mohini was the female form of Lord Vishnu and was known for her extreme beauty. There are two main stories associated with Mohini – As per the mentions in the texts when the Asuras and Devas were fighting for Amrit and the Asuras ended up taking up the Amrit for themselves to gain immortality then Vishnu took the form of Mohini and seduced the Asuras which resulted the Asuras to give Amrit to Mohini and she started to distribute the it amongst the Devas.
Then a demon Rahu Ketu changed form and tried to get Amrit which angered Lord Vishnu and he slew the head of the demon and the demon’s head was named Ketu and his body as Rahu. There is another story where a demon called Bhasmasur gained a boon from Lord Shiva that he will be able to burn anybody to ashes by placing his hand over the head of the person.
Bhasmasur then saw Mother Parvati and decided to marry her and therefore went after Lord Shiva to burn him down. Vishnu then took the form of Mohini to help Shiva and seduced Bhasmasur. Bhasmasur wanted to marry Mohini to which Mohini said to agree only if Bhasmasur imitates her dance moves. After months of efforts Mohini tricked Bhasmasur into touching his own head through a dance move which turned the demon into ashes.
Rambha is equally popular in mythology of apsaras. Rambha is said to have originated during the churning of the ocean of milk. She was regarded to be the Queen of Apsaras. Vishwamitra once engaged in Tapasya for a thousand years, after which Lord Brahma granted him the title of ‘Maharishi’. But Vishwamitra was not satisfied by this, as he wanted to be a ‘Brahmarishi’ so that he would be Vasishtha’s equal.
So, he engaged in another thousand years of Tapasya, which was so intense that it caused disruption in the three worlds. So, Indra told the Apsara Rambha to tempt Vishwamitra away from his Tapasya. Vishwamitra was indeed distracted by Rambha, but then he cursed her to turn to stone for thousand years.
The Beauteous Apsara, Muse Of The Gandharvas
Then comes the story of Tilottama. Tilottama is the famous Apsara who saved the world from the rampaging Asura brothers Sunda and Upasunda, often associated with sin and materialism. The Demigods were attacked by these brothers and were thrown out of their celestial city. Lord Indra and the other Demigods sent the Apsara Tilottama to distract them. Both the Asuras desperately wanted to possess her.
Tilottama desired for the strongest partner and demanded them to show their strength on each other. The brothers didn’t want to lose her and got involved in an aggressive match. At the end, the brothers ended up killing each other at the feet of Tilottama.
In most of the stories that we come across, Apsaras are often presented as beautiful but treacherous beings, who take advantage of the weakness of human beings, disrupt their Tapasya, or become a player in the divine scheme of things. However, there are many Apsaras in Hindu mythology who were powerful and important, and their acts are exemplary, the perfect case of beauty with brains.
👉 Apsara Sarama : The wife of Rakshasa Vibheeshana, Sarama is believed to be a Rakshasi as well as a divine nymph or Gandharavi, who is beautiful and intelligent. According to the Ramayana, Sarama is the trusted companion of Devi Sita in Lanka.
In the episode of Maya-Shirsha, where Ravana with magic presents an illusion of Sri Rama’s severed head to Sita, Sarama approaches Sita and tells her about Ravana’s foul play. Throughout Sita’s residence in Lanka, Sarama emerges as her cherished friend.
👉 Apsara Ghritachi : A name mentioned in the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas multiple times, Ghritachi is a powerful and beautiful nymph in Hinduism. She is mentioned as the wife of Vishwakarma (the architect of gods), the mother of Nala (who became an architect in the army of Rama), and the mother of Shuka Deva, a learned sage who was born when Ghritachi approached sage Vyasa as a parrot and his seed that entered the parrot, was born as their son.
👉 Anjana : Devi Anjana, the mother of Lord Hanuman according to Hindu traditions was the Apsara Punjalikastala in her previous birth. She was born as a Vanara or monkey princess and married the king of Vanaras, Kesari.
Apsaras have been referred in ancient stories and legends as well as in the fairy tales. They are variously described as fairies, angels, nymphs and sirens. There are many Apsaras related to Puranas, epics and legends. In Mahabharata, 45 Apsaras are referred. Sage Kashyapa, who has many wives, is considered as father of many celestial races.
The demi-gods are born from his wife Aditi and demons come from his other wife Diti. While the Bhagavata Purana states that Apsaras were born from Kashyapa and Muni, it is in the Mahabharata, Pradha is mentioned as Apsaras’ mother. In other ancient legends, it is said that the Apsaras came out during the churning of the sea.
Indian art traditions, especially the sculptures that developed around ancient Hindu temples, are replete with images of Apsaras. These residents of heaven, with their unparalleled beauty, appealed to the senses of the artists, who based on the description of the charm and divine powers of the Apsaras, carved their figures in stone and metal.
☀ The most popular and marvelous images of Apsaras or nymphs in India are found in the Khajuraho temple complex. Historians and experts hold different opinions- some say that the female figures on temple walls and niches are Apsaras while others say that they are human females.
☀ Whatever their identity may be, the Khajuraho dancing women, women with mirrors (Darpana), women with parrots, and women adorning themselves are no less than the Apsaras, with their eternal beauty that captivates anyone who looks at them.
☀ A similar charm is carried by the sculptures of the Hoysalas, whose temple structures have a number of awe-inspiring female figures adorning the arena. These women in stone, engaged in ornamentation, playing various musical instruments, or dancing (Nartaki) are reminders of the beauty of Apsaras, and are the simplest way of experiencing the legendary allure of these heavenly beings on earth.
☀ Indian paintings, be it the traditional, classic Rajput and Mughal miniatures or the folk paintings are also inspired by the appeal of Apsaras. Borrowing from the stories of the Apsaras and their depictions in Hindu texts, medieval paintings, as well as modern artworks (eg. paintings of Urvashi and Menaka by Raja Ravi Varma), continue to celebrate the presence of Apsaras in Indian art till the contemporary times.
In certain strands of Tantric traditions, there are ways of worshipping the Apsaras for various material and metaphysical goals. These rituals are known as “Apsara Sadhana”, an occult practice, shared by only learned teachers and devout students, containing powerful rites and methods, aimed at appeasing the Apsaras to gain various powers from them.
In Conclusion
Apsaras in Indian tradition are as old as civilization. From the Vedic times, where Urvashi in the pages of the Rig Veda is an incomparable beauty, to the Puranas where a number of Apsaras allure the heart of the audience, until the modern times, these divine females are the embodiment of the ethereal femininity.
Exotic India Art has a collection of books and texts with legends of Apsaras as well as sculptures and paintings from all over the country, where the grace of Apsaras is beautifully narrated. Explore the website and discover the enchanting world of Indian Apsaras today!
Key TakeawaysApsaras are beautiful, supernatural female beings who are known for their enchanting dance and music. They are often depicted as having a youthful and alluring appearance.In Hindu mythology, apsaras are associated with the god Indra, who is said to have created them to dance and sing for the entertainment of the gods and to distract demons from their meditative practices.Apsaras are also associated with the god Vishnu and are said to have appeared during his incarnations on earth, such as in the story of the churning of the ocean of milk.There are many different types of apsaras, each with their own unique qualities and characteristics. Some of the most famous apsaras include Menaka, Rambha, and Urvashi.Apsaras are often depicted in Hindu art and literature, and their beauty and grace continue to captivate people today.
Key Takeaways
Apsaras are beautiful, supernatural female beings who are known for their enchanting dance and music. They are often depicted as having a youthful and alluring appearance.
In Hindu mythology, apsaras are associated with the god Indra, who is said to have created them to dance and sing for the entertainment of the gods and to distract demons from their meditative practices.
Apsaras are also associated with the god Vishnu and are said to have appeared during his incarnations on earth, such as in the story of the churning of the ocean of milk.
There are many different types of apsaras, each with their own unique qualities and characteristics. Some of the most famous apsaras include Menaka, Rambha, and Urvashi.
Apsaras are often depicted in Hindu art and literature, and their beauty and grace continue to captivate people today.
The original version was written by Manisha Sarade on 29 September 2021. It was revised in 24 July 2024 by Prakriti Anand, who is currently pursuing her PhD in Ancient Indian History from the University of Delhi. Prakriti has experience working with organizations in the realms of heritage, art, and history and is committed to advancing contributions to the field of culture.
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