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Exotic India's collection of brass sculptures, sourced from artisan families wherein the art of brass sculpting runs through generations, captures perfectly the ethereal beauty and grace of apsaras. These Indian nymphs are known to emerge from the fluid elements of nature, revealing the allure of their forms and their art to humans and gods alike.
Originally believed to be water nymphs, Apsaras, are celestial maidens of Indra Puri with enthralling elegance. They are exceedingly beautiful and sensuous, thereby having the capability to lure, attract and amuse. They were experts in dance and music and were the court entertainers of Indra Puri -The heavenly kingdom of Lord Indra. These cosmic nymphs were the companions of the Gandharvas, while some were created with a devoted mission to be a reason or a cause.
The Ramayana attributes the origins of Apsaras to the Samudramathanam or the churning of the ocean, while Manu Sastra asserts that Apsaras were created with the seven Manus to serve as wives of the Gods and daughters of pleasure.
They have been beautifully depicted in sculpture and painting in India and throughout areas of South and Southeast Asia influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism.
Apsaras are significant in Indonesian and Malay culture. Images of Apsaras are found in several temples of ancient Java, dating from the era of the Sailendra Dynasty to the Majapahit Empire. The Apsaras are usually integral parts of a story in bas-relief.
In Balinese culture, the theme of Apsaras often occurs, for example in dances such as Sanghyang Dedari and Legong. Apsaras are also often depicted as the wives of celestial musicians in Indonesian folklores and fairytales such as the "Story of Apsara Menaka". Since folktales are often reflective of a country's culture, the fact that Apsaras are often present shows that they are a prominent figure in Indonesian culture.
In Cambodia, Thailand many symbolic remnants of India’s influence are visible in their art, culture and civilisation can be seen in the form of stylised figures.
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.
Multiple prominent Apsaras appear in their specific myths told inside larger texts such as the Mahabharata or the Rg Veda. Some examples of these Apsaras are Urvashi, Rambha and Tilottama.
According to the Mahabharata, Tilottama is an Apsara created by Visvakarman. Visvakarman combined all the elements of beauty found in the world, both animate and inanimate, to create Tilottama. Thus, Tilottama was so beautiful that Siva spouted faces on all sides of his head so that he may always see her and Indra grew one thousand eyes so that he may never lose sight of her. Aside from impressing the gods, Tilottama’s beauty was created to seduce the Asuras, Sunda and Upasunda. Ultimately, in this seduction, Tilottama’s goal was to entice the two Asuras into battle. Tilottama successfully seduces both Asuras, causing them to kill each other over her love.
Urvashi (the one born of a thigh) is an Apsara who was created from the thigh of Lord Narayana. She became the wife of King Pururavas who is an ancestor of the Kauravas and Pandavas. The story is that Urvasi lived with Pururava, a human king, for a while and then left him to return to her Apsara and Gandharva companions.
Rambha is known as the Queen of the Apsaras. Her accomplishments in the arts of dancing, music, and beauty were unrivalled. She was often asked by the king of the Devas, Indra to break the Tapasya of sages so that the purity of their penance is tested against temptation, and also that the order of the three worlds remains undisturbed by any one man’s mystical powers. When she tried to disturb the penance of Rishi Vishwamitra (who was meditating to become a Brahmarishi), she is cursed by him to become a rock for 10,000 years till a Brahmin delivers her from the curse.
Exotic India has a wide variety of alluring statues of Apsaras made of Brass. With divine accomplishments in music and performing arts, these apsaras come in a great variety of sizes and postures and tempers, each meant to add to your home or office an otherworldly aura of seduction.
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