Pandoraspace

Angkor Thom is a city built in the twelve century by Jayavarman VII. There are five gates that open up to Angkor Thom.  There is a gate on the north, west and south sides and two gates on the east side. Each gate is flanked on one side by fifty-four statues of gods and on the other side by fifty-four statues of demons. The gods and demons are seen pulling the snake-god Vasuki in the scene from the Churning of the Sea of Milk. (See www.sacred-destinations.com.)  I took an elephant ride from the outskirts of Angkor Thom and entered it via one of the gates to get a different perspective of the place. From high up on my elephant, I felt like I was above the gods and demons that lined the entrance to Angkor Thom and that I could reach the sky.  I also felt isolated from those entering Angkor Thom on foot.  Interesting…

The Churning of the Sea of Milk

A scene from the Hindu myth, the Churning of the Sea of Milk, is carved on one of the walls of Angkor Wat. The scene shows the Hindu snake-god, Vasuki, twined around a tower (Mount Mandara). On one side, the gods are pulling Vasuki’s head, and on the other side, the demons are pulling Vasuki’s tail. To prevent Mount Mandara from sinking in the Sea of Milk, a god (maybe Vishnu) transforms itself into a giant tortoise, which is seen keeping Mount Mandara afloat. (See Michael Buckley, The Churning of the Ocean of Milk, www.veloasia.com.)  As Padma and I were perplexed by what we saw, our guide explained that the amrita (the Hindu elixir of immortality), the apsaras and the three-headed elephants (whose Hindu/Khmer name I can no longer recall) were lost in a fight between the gods and the demons. Upon Vishnu’s advise, the gods and demons later worked together to churn the Sea of Milk to produce those lost items.  After our guide explained the myth to us, I was even more perplexed. The myth is mysterious, strange, funny, fascinating and definitely out of this world.