Ulupi: The Asura Princess
Designer – Rohit Bal
The Story
My collection was inspired by the story of Ulupi, an asura princess. She is the daughter of King Kauravya who is the king of all the serpents in the Ganges River. I chose to showcase the five most important moments in her life after she meets Arjuna, one of the famous Pandava brothers. The story goes that during Arjuna’s exile, she sees Arjuna and brings him to her underwater world. Eventually, she convinces him to marry her using her charm and wily ways. The couple have a child together named Babruvahan; however, Arjuna decides to return to his world shortly after the birth of their son. Ulupi raises their son particularly focusing on teaching him the art of warfare so that he can live up to Arjuna’s reputation as a warrior. This leads to Arjuna’s downfall when Babruvahan kills him in battle without knowing that he is Arjuna’s son. Fortunately, Ulupi knows that Arjuna was destined to die this way because of a curse, so she is ready to use her powers to bring him back to life in the end.
I was truly inspired by this story because Ulupi breaks the stereotype of a traditional asura. This character was strong, loyal savior. My collection was designed to embody these ideals.
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The first look is inspired by her personality. Ulupi is a manipulative asura. I envision her as someone who always gets what she wants, but she’s never unfair. She is a princess, so she has a definite sense of royalty in her style. In all those ways, she is a perfect match for the great warrior, Arjuna.
The next look is a representation of the charm and wits she uses to make Arjuna fall in love with her. I wanted to embody a mystical quality in the design, color, and embroidery. The sheer cape adds a different kind of allure that is not seen in traditional gowns like this one. Similarly, Ulupi is a character unlike any other in a traditional Indian story.
This look is Ulupi’s bridal outfit. Arjuna and Ulupi have a small, private ceremony to sanctify their bond; however, this asura would definitely bring flair to this momentous occasion in her life. The velvet bodice and the gold accessories signify the royal element of her personality.
Next we have a look inspired by Ulupi’s role as a mother. In the original stories, she raises her son on her own because Arjuna decided to go back to his world. While she may not have directly objected to his departure, I can imagine that the responsibility of a taking care of child was tough for her. Still, she manages to properly raise a young man well-trained as a warrior, and her success is due to her poise, strength, and knowledge.
The final look is inspired by Ulupi’s role as Arjuna’s savior. After Ulupi learns of Arjuna’s unfortunate destiny, she lives her life constantly worried about her husband’s life. She knows that she can save him with her powers, but bearing that burden is still difficult for her. In the end, she successfully brings Arjuna back to life on the battlefield.
In this moment, I imagine her in a state of power, and I recreated that power in this look with the deep red velvet fabric and golden embroidery patterns. The white scarf adds an element of dignity to complete the royal style.
Ulupi was a fantastic character to create. The style and flair that she shows throughout her stories spoke to me and my design preferences. Embroidery is my signature design, and in this case the embroidery raised the level of sophistication which she represents. In addition, I saw this character as a misunderstood individual because of her background, so I took the chance to reveal her truly kind personality.