Male Junonia orithya has black to dark brown forewings with whitish bands at the subapical, two orange stripes and two blue stripes on the cell, two eye spots on the post-discal side. The hind wings are light blue with orange eye spots on the post-discal side, spaces 2 and 5. Female butterflies are similar in color but have more dull complexion. The undersides of the male and female wings are grayish brown with faint orange / brown markings and eye spots like the upper wings.
Larva: larvae of Junonia orithya are cylindrical, 1.3 mm in length, yellowish green in color and covered by many small dark turquoise, long and dark setae. Furthermore, the color of the caterpillar changes to dark brown to black, at the last instar stage the head capsule has orange markings on the sides and top, two black, short and small apical horns on the head are visible.
Pupa: Junonia orithya pupae are dark brown in color, pale brown on the wing pads and ventrum, whitish bands running across the cremasteric bulkhead and middle of the abdomen. Pupa length 17-19 mm.