The Asuras and Devas each held one end of Vasuki, pulling him back and forth, twisting the mountain and thereby churning the waters of the primordial ocean into milk. Instead, Mount Madara was conscripted to serve as the churning rod and the serpent king Vasuki was tied around the mountain to serve as the churning string. These being gods and demons, no ordinary churning rod would do. An accord is reached and the two sides get to work churning. The Devas approach the Asuras, who agree to assist provided they share the Amrita once recovered. Vishnu tells them to make peace with the Asuras and to work with them to churn the Kshira Sagara – the Ocean of Milk – to recover the Amrita, the lost elixir of immortality. Desperate, they seek guidance from Lord Vishnu. The Devas, having lost power and fortune, fear the damage the powerful Asuras might inflict on the universe. The story opens with the demonic Asuras in ascendance. The scene from the relief is recorded in multiple Hindu scriptures, including the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata. © cascoly2/ Churning of the Ocean of Milk An epic scene depicted in epic scale.Ĭhurning of the Ocean of Milk Bas-Relief at Angkor Wat. The scene gives the impression of an enormous raw power, focused and directed to a single purpose. At the center sits Vishnu, fierce and dignified. Running almost 50 meters, the long line of deities pushes and pulls, their exertion evident in their crouched and tilted stances. 88 Devas and 92 Asuras, all life-size, struggle to recover the lost elixir of immortality. This is the home of the famous bas-relief, the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. As I moved from hall to hall, gods peaked out from hidden alcoves and around corners while mythical creatures stood sentry, guarding some long lost temple secret.Īfter wondering around the inner cloister, I made my way to the Eastern Gallery. Small dark soldiers and their kings engaged in some ancient war. As I entered, I was greeted with scenes of great, chaotic battles unfolding along the walls. I walked across the long causeway leading over the moat surrounding Angkor Wat, then through the outer gates which guard the approach to the temple. The rainy season was trailing off, leaving behind it clear blue skies and vibrant greenery. As so many have before and since, I hired a tuk tuk to take me down the orange dusty roads to the temple complex. For a sense of what Angkor Wat may have looked like in its glory days, see here. The inhabitants of this community were likely builders, religious scholars, and temple dancers, who collectively would have kept the traditions and rituals of the temple alive. There is also evidence that an entire community existed in the area around the temple. Scholars believe the towers may have once been covered in gold and the walls plastered. Though better preserved than other buildings, what we see today is still only a shadow of its former self. Unlike the other structures in the area, Angkor Wat was never fully abandoned and remains an important place of pilgrimage to this day. At its height, the Khmer Empire stretched across almost all of mainland Southeast Asia.Īngkor Wat itself was built in the early 12 th century to honor the Hindu god Vishnu, though by the 13 th century it had been converted into a Buddhist temple. It is a testament to the power of the Khmer kings, whose empire lasted from 802 AD to 1431 AD. Angkor WatĪs a monument to one of history’s greatest empires, Angkor Wat ranks together with the Roman Colosseum or China’s Great Wall. 900 years later, it continues to inspire us, carrying forward the legacy of those who built it and offering tantalizing insights into their world view. It is this scene that captured the imagination of the Khmer builders of Angkor Wat, who depicted it in an intricate 50 meter stone carving of 88 gods and 92 demons, all working together to attain immortality. The Churning of the Ocean of Milk, a story of gods (the Devas) and demons (the Asuras) working together to recover the lost elixir of immortality. But what if there was a peace between these two eternal antagonists? The ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, tells one such story. Every religion has its angels and demons, always at war, struggling to overcome one another.
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