The article Creationist crusade reaches Singapore
begins with a reference to an Indian creation story, the churning of an
ocean of milk. The most wonderful depiction of this is found in Angkor
Wat's East Gallery. Go the article for a gist of the story, while
here are some pictures.
The bas-relief is very, very long, and
nearly twice a man's height. It is impossible to capture it all in a
single photo. So going from left to right of the mural,
The asuras (demons) get to pull at the head end of the giant serpent
Vasuki. In this section, you can see the multi-heads of Vasuki. The
biggest human-like figure in this section is Ravana, the demon king,
leading his side of the pulling team.
There are altogether 91 muscular asuras (demons) pulling on the body of
the naga (serpent) Vasuki. The churning of the ocean of milk produces much
froth and throws up fantastic treasures from the deep. Among these are
celestial dancers called apsaras - the smaller figures above the demons'
heads.
Vasuki had coiled itself around Mount Mandara, which formed the pivot of
the churn. But halfway through the operation, the giant churn began to
sink and Vishnu had to come to the rescue. He turned himself into a
tortoise and supported the churn on his back. Here, in the bas-relief,
Vishnu is shown in human form, right at the centre of the carving. Above
him is Indra, the God of the Sky.
In the right half of the bas-relief are 88 devas (gods), pulling on the
tail end of the naga Vasuki. Above them are more apsaras. The deva team is
helmed by the Monkey God Hanuman (not shown here). 
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