In the mythology of the Indian subcontinent, apsaras are celestial dancers in the court of Indra, king of the gods. They are not very important in the Vedas, but become prominent later in the Puranas as well as in the epic poems, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The Puranas and the Ramayana say that they emerged from the water at the churning of the celestial ocean by the gods and the Asuras. But since neither the gods or the Asuras wanted them as wives, they became common to all. They are also called Suranganas, ‘wives of the gods’ or Sumadatmajas, ‘daughters of pleasure’. Some of them are the wives and mistresses of Gandharvas. They are exceedingly beautiful and even the most austere sages cannot resist their charms.

Apsaras can also change their form at will. They are fond of dice and give good luck to those they favour. There are supposed to be some thirty-five million of them, but only one thousand and sixty are important. Mortal men are fascinated by them, but relationships with apsaras often end in heartbreak for the men. They also sometimes cause madness in men.

In the stories of the Kathasaritsagara, apsaras often fall in love with mortals, but are usually under some curse that causes them to be born in the world of men. Prince Naravahanadatta, the Kathasaritsagara, also marries several of the apsaras in Indra’s court. Tilottama, Alambusha, and Surabhidatta are some of the apsaras who appear in this collection of tales.