| |
The walls are covered with Angkor Apsaras, celestial dancers, heavenly women. In the temple of Angkor Wat, they are more than two thousand, all different from each other. Each face has its own beauty and expression; every move is different.
They are all perfect.
The Apsaras are topless, breasts round. The fabric that covers a slight drape the rest of the body, mold the thighs and legs. They are wearing tiaras and high tiaras. Their neck and arms are covered with jewels.
The Apsaras symbolize a carefree life, full of beauty and serenity. Looks like she will start dancing. According to a usual day, it is considered a religious duty to caress the statues in passing.
For centuries, the hands have touched the stone and gave it a patina.
 The hairstyle and jewelry of a Cambodian dancer faithfully reproduce those worn by female deities in the bas-reliefs of Angkor temples.
|
| Origin : |
The apsaras designate "those who glide over the water." They are born of the "Churning of the Sea of Milk" which is represented at Angkor Wat, the largest temple of Angkor in Cambodia.
The Devas (gods in Sanskrit) which were fatal then, exhausted by their struggle for mastery of the world, have decided to join forces with the Asura (and powerful divine beings known primarily for evil) to extract the liquor of immortality called amrita. After many efforts, the churning produced objects and beings whose wonderful Apsaras. You should know that the Deva and Asura were opposed to each other.
The Apsaras are also Sattwa girls and wives of Gandharvas. These are men-horses, they can be singers or musicians. The apsaras are depicted as dancers and are famous for their beauty, they could be considered the equivalent of Nereids in Greek mythology.
|
| Legend : |
According to legend, the emerging water apsaras to seduce men, those who push crazy, while those who accept them as mistress or wife as gaining immortality. |
|
Celestial dancers in the bas-reliefs of Angkor temples. |
A graceful Apsara dancing , carved in low-relief on the pillars of the gallery of the Propylaea before Angkor Wat.
|
A
group of dancing Apsaras in the galleries of the courtyard.
A weather-protected, these sculptures are a real strong ballet of nymphs.
|
|
Dancer Apsaras
Home
