5200 x 3481 px | 44 x 29,5 cm | 17,3 x 11,6 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
Januar 2007
Ort:
Angkor Siem Reap, Cambodia
Weitere Informationen:
Apsaras are the celestial nymphs or maidens, who dance and entertain the gods. They represent female spirits of the clouds and waters in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology. They are supernatural young women of great beauty and elegance and wives of the Gandharvas, court servants of Indra. They generally dance in the palaces of the gods. They dance for the fallen heroes as with the valkyries in Norse mythology. Sometimes they are also compared to the muses or the nymphs, dryads and naiads of ancient Greece, being associated with water. In Hinduism the lower apsaras are sometimes regarded as nature spirits, who lure men to their deaths, not unlike the Greek sirens. They are said to be able to change shapes at will and rule over the fortunes of gaming and gambling. The most famous of them include Urvasi, Menaka, Rambha and Tilottama.. Each of the 26 Apsaras of Indra’s court represents a distinct aspect of performing arts. They are often associated with fertility rites, and are found carved throughout the complex at Angkor, the world’s largest religious monument constructed in Khmer style between 1113 and 1150 by King Suryavarman II. Being located at the heart of the empire; it was dedicated to the god Vishnu and is a microcosm of the Hindu universe.
