Cambodian Hindu Religious Art: "Samudra Manthan"

This Cambodian Hindu carving is from the temple at Prasat Phnom Da, in Cambodia. The carving shows a part of the Hindu holy writings called the Samudra Mathan. The text concerns the churning of the ocean of milk, which, in Hinduism, is one of the central events in the ever-continuing struggle between the devas, Sanskrit for gods, and the asuras, Sanskrit for demons.

According to the Samudra Manthan, the gods were cursed to lose all their strength, energy, and fortune. In later battles, the gods were defeated by the demons who gained control of the universe. Wanting to regain their strength, the gods tricked the demons to help them recover the elixir of immortality, the amrita, from the ocean of milk. Mount Mandara was torn out to use as a churning stick. The king of serpents became the churning rope. The gods held its tail while the demons 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, the god of preservation, in his second incarnation, in the form of a turtle, came to their rescue and supported the mountain on his back. During the churning, a pot of poison also came out of the ocean that was so toxic it could destroy all of creation. Out of compassion for living beings, Shiva swallowed the poison and held it in his throat. It was so potent that it changed the color of Shiva's neck to blue.

The churning also brought up many treasures in addition to the amrita: the moon, a fragrant tree, a four-tusked elephant, a cow of plenty, the goddess of wine, a wish-fulfilling tree, a nymph, a celestial horse, Vishnu’s conch shell, Vishnu’s mace, Vishnu’s magic bow, Vishnu’s wife Lakshmi, various gems, and of course the amrita.

When the amrita appeared, the gods and the asuras fought over its possession, though they had originally agreed to share it equally. After many adventures, it was finally consumed by the gods, who were thus restored in strength.
 
 Hinduism is the oldest living religion, about 4,000 – 5,000 years old. Hindu people believe that Brahman is the creator, preserver and transformer of existence. Gods that are part of Brahman include Vishnu, the preserver god, and Shiva, the god of destruction. Hinduism came from India. No one person founded the religion. There are many Hindu holy books. Hindus honor their deities through worship. Hindus tell stories of the ways that the gods interact with each other and with humans. Hindus believe in rebirth after death (reincarnation); their goal is to escape the movement of the soul into another body and to become one with Brahman.
Source:
"churning of the ocean of milk."Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samudra_manthan