EAST GALLERY - CHURNING OF THE OCEAN OF MILK,,,,
This is the foremost far-famed panel of bas-reliefs at Angkor Wat and derives from the Indian epic Bagavata-Pourana. The Ocean of Milk is churned by gods and demons to get Amrta, the elixir of life. the aim of the churning is to recover lost treasures like the sourer of immortality, Laksmi the deity of fine fortune, the milk white elephant of Hindu deity, and therefore the nymph of beauteousness. The retrieval of those objects symbolizes prosperity. It takes place throughout the second ascent of Visnu, once he's incarnated as a turtle.
The three tiers :
The scene is set into 3 tiers. The lower tier includes numerous aquatic animals, real and legendary, and is bordered by a serpent. the center tier has, on one aspect, a row of ninety two demons (round bulging eyes, crested helmets) and, on the opposite aspect, a row of eighty eight gods (almond-shaped eyes, round shape headdresses). They work along by holding and churning the serpent. Hanuman, the monkey god, assists. Visnu, in his reincarnation as a turtle, offers the rear of his shell as a base for the mountain Biu-Mandara, and as a pivot for the churning. He sits on rock bottom of the Ocean. an enormous wire within the kind of the body of the serpent Vasuki acts as a stirring instrument to churn the ocean.
EAST GALLERY - CHURNING OF THE OCEAN OF MILK - outside :
To begin the motion the gods and demons twist the serpent's body; the demons hold the top and also the gods hold the tail of the serpent. Then by propulsion it rhythmically back and for th they cause the pivot to rotate and churn the water.
The gods and demons square measure directed by 3 persons (identified by their larger size). Hindu deity is on high of Visnu. On the acute right Hanuman, ally of the gods, tickles the serpent. higher tier: throughout the churning numerous feminine spirits emerge. Visnu seems during this scene once more in yet one more reincarnation-as a personality's being-to control over the "churning "which, in line with legend, lasted quite one,000 years.
Numerous different beings ar pictured like the three-headed elephant mount of Indra, Apsaras and Laksmmi, the deity of beauty. They churning provoke the serpent to vomit the mortal venom, that covers the waves. Afraid the venom might destroy the gods and demons, Brahma intervenes and requests Hindu deity to devour and drink the venom, which is able to leave AN unerasable trace on Siva's throat. He complies and, as a result, he Amtrak pours forth. The demon rush to capture all the liquid. Visnu hurries to the rescue and assumes one more reincarnation within the variety of Maya, a fascinating beauty, and is ready to revive abundant of the in demand liquid.
