Flying Apsara (天女/飛天)

An apsara (Sanskrit for "celestial nymph") is a female Buddhist deity originating in Indian mythology who dwells in the sky but visits Earth at will. In early China, apasaras are often depicted as flying figures in the mural paintings and wall carvings of Buddhist caves sites. This fragment from a larger stone relief probably depicted a host of apasras fluttering above or to the sides a Buddhist god or holy person, bestowing an added sense of spirituality to the sacred scene (see comparative image from the ceiling of one grotto at Gongxian).