Travel Reference
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the road to hell. To Yama's right, the tableau is divided into two parts by a horizontal line
of garudas : above, the elect dwell in beautiful mansions, served by women and attend-
ants; below, the condemned suffer horrible tortures that might have inspired the Khmer
Rouge. The ceiling in this section was restored by the French in the 1930s.
Churning of the Ocean of Milk
The southern section of the east gallery is decorated by the most famous of the bas-relief
scenes at Angkor Wat, the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. This brilliantly executed
carving depicts 88 asuras on the left, and 92 devas , with crested helmets, churning up the
sea to extract from it the elixir of immortality. The demons hold the head of the serpent
Vasuki and the gods hold its tail. At the centre of the sea, Vasuki is coiled around Mt Man-
dala, which turns and churns up the water in the tug of war between the demons and the
gods. Vishnu, incarnated as a huge turtle, lends his shell to serve as the base and pivot of
Mt Mandala. Brahma, Shiva, Hanuman (the monkey god) and Lakshmi (the goddess of
beauty) all make appearances, while overhead a host of heavenly female spirits sing and
dance in encouragement. Luckily for us, the gods won through, as the apsaras above were
too much for the hot-blooded devils to take. Restoration work on this incredible panel by
the World Monuments Fund (WMF; www.wmf.org ) was completed in 2012.
BAS-RELIEF
The Elephant Gate
This gate, which has no stairway, was used by the king and others for mounting and dis-
mounting elephants directly from the gallery. North of the gate is a Khmer inscription re-
cording the erection of a nearby stupa in the 18th century.
BAS-RELIEF
Vishnu Conquers the Demons
The northern section of the east gallery shows a furious and desperate encounter between
Vishnu, riding on a garuda , and innumerable devils. Needless to say, he slays all comers.
This gallery was completed at a later date, most likely in the 16th century, and the later
carving is notably inferior to the original work from the 12th century.
BAS-RELIEF
Krishna & the Demon King
The eastern section of the north gallery shows Vishnu incarnated as Krishna riding a
garuda . He confronts a burning walled city, the residence of Bana, the demon king. The
garuda puts out the fire and Bana is captured. In the final scene Krishna kneels before
Shiva and asks that Bana's life be spared.
BAS-RELIEF
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