Most Beautiful Women in Hindu Mythology

Beautiful women are a part of many mythologies. Often, they cause trouble, but sometimes, they are also virtuous and noble. There is Helen of Troy of Greek mythology, Delilah of Hebrew lore, Freya of Norse mythology, Scheherazade of Arabian mythology, and so on.

 Hindu mythology, too, has its share of beautiful women. Some were known for their intelligence, some for wisdom, some for courage, and some for their propensity for mischief.

 Mohini

One of the most beautiful women in Hindu mythology is actually a male deity! It was none other than Mohini, whose beguiling charm was used to distract the Asuras when the divine elixir Amrit was distributed.  After the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan), the gods and demons began to fight over the Amrit or nectar of immortality.

 To resolve the issue, Lord Vishnu took the form of a beautiful woman called Mohini, who declared that she would distribute the nectar fairly. The Asuras were smitten by her, and they didn’t notice that Mohini was offering all the Amrit to the gods. However, a demon called Svarbhanu sat among the gods in disguise. The Sun and Moon warned the others about his presence. Vishnu, as Mohini, sent the Sudarshana Chakra and decapitated him. By then, he had managed to drink a few drops of nectar, so he escaped death. One half of the demon became Rahu, and the other became Ketu.

 The ultimate enchantress, Mohini, was so beautiful that Lord Shiva fell for her charms.

 Ahalya

Ahalya did not have a normal birth. She was created out of pure creative energy. The Mahari dance tradition says that Brahma created her using water to destroy the pride and arrogance of the apsara, Urvashi. Her beauty made her irresistible even to Lord Indra (king of the demigods). His lust for her made him take the form of her husband, Sage Gautam, and seduce her. The furious sage cursed both Indra and his wife for the transgression. Later, Lord Rama redeemed her from the curse.

 Tilottama

Supposedly, the divine architect Vishwakarma created women with great charm and beauty never seen before in all the three worlds on the orders of Lord Brahma. One such woman was Tilottama.  ‘Til’ means sesame seeds, while ‘Uttam’ means 'of very good quality.' True to her name, every part of her was perfect.

 Even Lord Shiva, who was an ascetic and deeply in love with his wife, Goddesses Parvati, was smitten by her charm and the glow emanating from her body. According to mythology, faces appeared on all four sides of his head so that he could look at Tilottama as she circumambulated around him and Parvati. In a fit of pique, Parvati put her hands on his eyes. This plunged the universe into darkness, leading to the emergence of his third eye.

 Urvashi

When the primordial twin sages, Nara and Narayana (Nara was born as the Pandava prince Arjuna and Narayana as Lord Krishna, later), were doing penance and meditating in the Badrinath region, Lord Indra became alarmed. He did not want them to acquire divine powers and become more powerful than himself. So, he sent two apsaras (celestial nymphs) called Rambha and Menaka, along with other supporting apsaras, to distract them.

 The apsaras told Nara and Narayana that Indra had offered them the most beautiful apsaras in heaven. They were very supercilious and proud of the fact. But Narayana struck his thigh with a flower, and a woman emerged from there. Her beauty was such that Indra’s apsaras couldn’t hold a candle to her. She emerged from the ‘uru’ (meaning 'thigh'), and hence, Narayana named her Urvashi.

 Narayana did it to make the apsaras understand that one should not be proud of one’s physical beauty and worldly possessions. He also asked the apsaras to take Urvashi to heaven along with them and present her to Indra on his behalf. Urvashi was the most beautiful apsara in Indra’s court.

 Mandodari

Mandodari was the wife of the Asura Ravana, who kidnapped Sita and was killed by Lord Rama. She is among the most beautiful women in Hindu mythology. Some versions of the Ramayana epic claim that when Hanuman arrived in Lanka for the first time to trace Sita’s whereabouts, he mistook Mandodari for Sita initially as her beauty matched the description of Sita’s beauty by Rama and others. Mandodari was one of the Panchakanyas. People believed that the mere recital of their names could dispel sins. She was the daughter of Mayasura and the apsara, Hema. The Ramayana extols her love and loyalty to Ravana.

 Damayanti

Damayanti was the princess of the Vidharbha kingdom and was extremely beautiful. Even demigods like Indra, Yama, Agni, and Varuna took part in her Swayamvar ceremony.

 But she fell for Nala of the Nishad kingdom after hearing about his virtues. One can find her description in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata. Damayanti is one of the most beautiful women in Hindu mythology. She and Nala are the main characters in Nishadha Charitha, a 12th century text and one of the five Mahakavyas (great epic poems) in Sanskrit literature.

 Rukmini

Rukmini is one of the two most beautiful women in the Mahabharata epic. She is an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and was born as the daughter of King Bheeshmak of Vidarbha. Rukmini made a perfect princess, and the Mahabharata says that her beauty made every king of Dwapara Yuga long to marry her.

 However, she loved Lord Krishna, whose courage, virtue, gallantry, and charm had won her heart.

 Draupadi

She was the other most beautiful woman in the Mahabharata, with Rukmini being the first one. Draupadi emerged from the sacrificial fire of a Yagna. Her beauty was different from the norm as she was dark in complexion. Most of the renowned warrior kings and princes of that era attended Draupadi's Swayamvara. It was the Pandava prince, Arjuna, who eventually won her hand in the Swayamvara. She is one of the Panchakanya (five virgins), who are archetypes of female chastity. The belief is that reciting their names can dispel sins. In some regions of the sub-continent, one can find a sect that worships Draupadi as a goddess.

 Sita

Sita was neither created by God nor was she born of a woman’s womb. The belief is that she is a self-manifested form of Goddess Lakshmi in Treta Yug. King Janaka and Queen Sunanya of Mithila raised her as their daughter.

 Her beauty was beyond compare. Supposedly, even Goddess Parvati and Goddess Lakshmi were no match for her beauty. She was also an embodiment of perfection.

 Ravana, the king of Lanka who abducted her, was someone who had conquered all three worlds and had a bevy of apsaras at his disposal. But even he was smitten by her beauty when he met her for the first time.

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