Churning of the Sea of Milk

This photo is of me on the eastern wall of Angkor Wat, next to the famous bas relief, "The Churning of the Sea of Milk". The story behind it is that the Gods wanted eternal life, Amrita, which was under the Sea of Milk. The Gods (Devas) told the Demons (Asuras) that they would get some of the Amrita if they helped them. The Devas and Asuras both took an end of a Naga (a snake) named Vasuki and wrapped it around Mount Mandara (which was in the middle of the Sea of Milk). This churned the sea so that the Devas could get to the bottom and reach the Amrita. When they got the Amrita, Apsaras, or celestial dancers, were born as well. But in the end, the Devas didn't share the Amrita with the Asuras anyways.

The 91 Asuras on the relief symbolize the 91 days between the winter solstice and spring equinox in March, while the 88 Devas represent the 88 days to the summer solstice after the equinox!

This is what I remember from the guidebook, so the story might be a little off.