[1] In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Tilottama is described to have been created by the divine architect Vishvakarma, at Brahma's request, by taking the best quality of everything as the ingredients.

While a legend talks about a pre-birth as an ugly widow, another narrates how she was cursed to be born as a daitya princess Usha by sage Durvasa.

In the Adi Parva (Book 1) of the epic Mahabharata, the divine sage Narada tells the Pandava brothers the story of the destruction of asura brothers Sunda and Upasunda due to the apsara Tilottama and warns the Pandavas that their common wife Draupadi could be a reason of quarrel between them.

[2] As Sunda and Upasunda were enjoying a dalliance with women and engrossed in drinking liquor along a riverbank in the Vindhya mountains, Tilottama appeared there plucking flowers.

Bewitched by her voluptuous figure and drunk with power and liquor, Sunda and Upasunda took hold of Tilottama's right and left hands respectively.

The divine sage Narada taunts Parvati, "You can imagine what Shiva is thinking about this woman who is reviled by wise men".

[9] The Brahma Vaivarta Purana narrates that Sahasika, grandson of Bali disturbed sage Durvasa's penance in his amours with Tilottama.

As the result, the sage turned him into a donkey and cursed Tilottama, to be born as asura Banasura's daughter Usha.

[10] Her tale was made into a movie in 1954, by Homi Wadia, Directed by Babubhai Mistry, starring Chitra, Kailash, Maruti, B. M. Vyas, Babu Raje and Indira Bansal.