apsara
Divine Hindu spirit
An apsara is a celestial nymph or spirit in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, often depicted as a beautiful dancer or musician in the heavenly courts.
Apsaras appear frequently in South and Southeast Asian art, most famously in the bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat: The temple walls were carved with hundreds of dancing apsaras.
The term sometimes extends to classical dancers who embody this tradition.
Ancient Indian spiritual tradition
- BuddhismEnlightenment-seeking Eastern religion
- RamayanaSanskrit heroic verse narrative
- MahabharataSanskrit war epic
- VedasHindu canonical texts
Divinely pleasant or blissful
- divineOf or from gods
- angelicDivinely pure and good
- seraphicAngelically pure and beautiful
- immortalCannot die
ethereal · transcendent · radiant · luminous · sublime · beatific · empyrean · elysian
Massive Khmer temple complex
- temple dancerReligious site performer
- mudraRitual hand gesture
- gestureCommunicative body movement
- hand positionPlacement of fingers
curved fingers · costume · headdress · golden crown · ritual performance · ensemble · graceful movement · slow tempo
Refined, graceful quality
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
- charmAttractive personal quality
- allureAttractive, tempting quality
- radianceGlowing luminous quality
loveliness · exquisiteness · femininity · refinement · sophistication · splendor · enchantment · seduction
Sculpture projecting slightly
- stone carvingSculptural work in rock
- sandstoneCemented grain sediment
- wall panelFlat board covering surfaces
- friezeOrnamental architectural band
colonnade · gallery · archaeological · iconography · preservation · restoration · UNESCO
Hinduism
Ancient Indian spiritual tradition
- BuddhismEnlightenment-seeking Eastern religion
- RamayanaSanskrit heroic verse narrative
- MahabharataSanskrit war epic
heavenly
Divinely pleasant or blissful
immortal · ethereal · transcendent · radiant · luminous · sublime · beatific · empyrean · elysian · paradisiacal
Angkor Wat
Massive Khmer temple complex
- temple dancerReligious site performer
- mudraRitual hand gesture
- gestureCommunicative body movement
hand position · curved fingers · costume · headdress · golden crown · ritual performance · ensemble · graceful movement · slow tempo
elegance
Refined, graceful quality
radiance · loveliness · exquisiteness · femininity · refinement · sophistication · splendor · enchantment · seduction · adornment
bas-relief
Sculpture projecting slightly
- stone carvingSculptural work in rock
- sandstoneCemented grain sediment
- wall panelFlat board covering surfaces
frieze · colonnade · gallery · archaeological · iconography · preservation · restoration · UNESCO
- Asian sacred artgolden Buddha, Buddha head, bodhisattva, thangka, pagoda
- Asian Sculptureseated Buddha, standing Buddha, garden Buddha, Bodhisattva, guardian lion
- Female Spiritsbanshee, ghost bride, La Llorona, lady in white, white lady
- Hindu-Buddhist mythologyVishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Krishna, Rama
- temple sculpturestone carving, relief carving, temple guardian, lingam, yoni
- Buddhist spiritsdevas, naga, nagas, hungry ghost, dakini