(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
A short bridge leads to the great temple complex at Angkor Thom. On the left are gods; on the right, demons. In Khmer mythology, together they churned the Ocean of Milk and liberated the elixir of immortality. According to Wikipedia
"The churning of the Ocean of Milk was an elaborate process. Mount Mandaranchal was used as the dasher (churning tool), and Vasuki, the king of serpents, became the churning rope. The gods held the tail of the snake, while the demons (Asuras) held its head, and they pulled on it alternately causing the mountain to rotate, which in turn churned the ocean. However, once the mountain was placed on the ocean, it began to sink. Vishnu in his second incarnation, in the form of a turtle Kurma, came to their rescue and supported the mountain on his back."
