First thing to know – they are not unique to Cambodia!
Beautiful, supernatural women were known as Apsaras across Asia long before the Angkor era. In both Hindu and Buddhist mythology, Apsaras are female spirits of the clouds and water. They are always youthful and elegant. They danced to the music of their husbands, in the palaces of the gods.
Apsaras appear in stone in many Angkor temples, carved in the 8th to 13th century. But did you know that not all females carved there are Apsaras?