Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE CHURNING OF THE OCEAN OF MILK
A popular theme in Khmer art is the
Churning of the Ocean of Milk
, a creation myth from the
Hindu epic the
Bhagavata-Purana
, which describes the various incarnations of Vishnu. At the
beginning of this episode, the devas (gods) and asuras (demons) are lined up on opposite sides,
trying to use
Mount Mandara
to churn the ocean in order to produce
amrita
, the elixir of
immortality. They tug on the serpent
Vasuki
, who is coiled around the mountain, but to no
effect.
Vishnu
arrives and instructs them to pull rhythmically, but the mountain begins to sink.
Things get worse when Vasuki vomits a deadly venom, which threatens to destroy the devas and
asuras; Brahma asks
Shiva
to drink up the venom, which he does, but it burns his throat, which is
blue thereafter. Vishnu meanwhile, in his incarnation as the tortoise
Kurma
, supports Mount
Mandara, allowing the churning to continue for another thousand years, after which the
amrita
is
finally produced. Unfortunately, the elixir is seized by the
asuras, but Vishnu again comes to the
rescue as the apparition
Maya
and regains the cup of elixir. The churning also results in the
manifestation of mythical beings, including the three-headed elephant, Airavata; the goddess of
beauty, Lakshmi, who becomes Vishnu's wife; and the celestial dancers, the apsaras.
3
East gallery: north section
The relief here was carved in the sixteenth century and the workmanship is rough and
superficial. The scene records the asuras being defeated by Vishnu, who is shown with
four heads and mounted on Garuda in the centre of the panel. The asuras approach
from the south, their leaders riding chariots drawn by monsters; from the north, a
group of warriors ride peacocks.
North gallery: east section
Also from the sixteenth century, the poorly rendered scenes here show the battle
between
Krishna
and
Bana
, son of an asura who had come under Shiva's protection.
Krishna, easily spotted with his eight arms and multiple heads, rides Garuda towards
Bana, but is forced to halt by a fire surrounding a city wall, which Garuda quells with
water from the Ganges. On the far west of the panel, a victorious Krishna is depicted
on Mount Kailash, where Shiva entreats him to spare Bana's life. Also along this stretch
of wall can be found an image of the elephant-headed god, Ganesh, his only
appearance in the entire temple.
North gallery: west section
Better executed than the previous two sections, the panel here shows 21 gods from the
Hindu pantheon in a terrific mêlée between
gods and demons
. Some of the easier ones
to spot are (from left to right), the multi-headed and -armed Skanda, god of war, riding
a peacock; Indra standing on the elephant Airavata; Vishnu mounted on Garuda and
fighting with all four arms; Yama's chariot pulled by buffalo; and Shiva pulling his bow,
while Brahma rides the sacred goose, Hamsa.
Northwest corner
More scenes from the
Ramayana
are to be found here, notably a depiction of Vishnu
reclining on the serpent Anata. A bevy of apsaras float above him, while his wife, Lakshmi,
sits near his feet. Below, a procession of gods come to ask Vishnu to return to earth.
West gallery: north section
Turning the corner, you come to the superbly carved
Battle of Lanka
. In this action-
packed sequence from the
Ramayana
, Rama is shown fighting the ten-headed,
twenty-armed Ravana to free his wife, Sita, from captivity; bodies of the soldiers from
the monkey army, Rama's allies, fall in all directions. The two adversaries are seen in the
centre of the panel, Ravana in a chariot drawn by lions, Rama standing on the monkey
king, Sugriva.
