My entry for @teambaahubali‘s Baahubali Summer Challenge- Week 1: Parichay

Personality aesthetic: Spirit Animals

Avanthika: Butterfly- At first glance, butterflies seem out-of-place for warrior girl Avanthika, but here’s my reasoning for that- Butterfly symbolizes resilience, hope and change. Avanthika carried the hope of the resurgent Kuntalans, and carried it wonderfully well. She changed from a warrior woman to a woman wielding power with Mahendra at the end (I refuse to believe that Avanthika would be a pretty girl without a voice). She, in my opinion, embodies hope and change, so it’s a butterfly for her.

Devasena- Phoenix- Phoenixes are all about eternal life and spiritual power, and Devasena has the ability to rise out of the ashes of her old life in spades, so it’s the phoenix for her!

Amarendra Baahubali- Unicorn- Unicorns are a symbol of high ideals, nobility, innocence, belief and holding oneself to high standards. To me, Amarendra Baahubali embodies every one of these qualities, so an unicorn it is for him!

Sivagami- Dragon- The dragon I have in mind for Sivagami is one of the Asian cultures, where the dragon is the guardian of the Kingdom. The dragon is righteous, wise and practical, but very set in its ways. Rouse it, and you will never be forgiven. Sivagami does seem like a dragon to me. Powerful, intimidating and very set on her own way.

Kattappa- Panther- Panthers are powerful protectors, a symbol of valor. Panthers are extremely protective of their peers, and it brought Kattappa to my mind, so I figured, why not?

That’s it for now!

Signing off, 

Nila

@teammahishmati

Malwa aesthetic for @teambaahubali‘s Summer Challenge, for @teammahishmati by Nila.

The original Malwa in India is a plateau. However, in Baahubali, Malwa is supposedly an island, so I took inspiration from Maldives culture for this one.

Coconuts and turtles are featuring in Maldivian legend, so they are included in this aesthetic. The centre row has a Maldivian lady weaving a mat and a child in a cultural festival.

Udayagiri aesthetic for @teambaahubali‘s Summer challenge, by Nila for @teammahishmati. 

Here, I took inspiration from Inca culture (another mesoamerican culture) as well as the original Udayagiri culture. 

I hope this is appropriate!

The first picture of the second row is a citadel (Machu Picchu), that I imagine would have been similar to Udayagiri citadels. The second picture on the same row is Inca Gold art, again, my headcanon for Udayagiri art.

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