Bas Relief along Angkor Wat

The Gallery of Bas-reliefs, surrounding the first level of Angkor Wat, contains 12,917 square feet of sandstone carvings. The relief covers most of the inner wall of all four sides of the gallery and extend for seven feet from top to bottom. The parts that appear black are thought to have the remains of the undercoats from black paint and lacquer. T

This  bas-relief depicts the Churning of the Ocean of Milk  This is the most famous panel of bas-reliefs at Angkor Wat and derives from the Indian epic Bagavata-Pourana. The Ocean of Milk is churned by gods and demons to generate Amrta, the elixir of life. the purpose of the churning is to recover lost treasures such as the sourer of immortality, Laksmi the goddess of good fortune, the milk white elephant of Indra, and the nymph of loveliness. The retrieval of these objects symbolizes prosperity. It takes place during the second ascent of Visnu, when he is incarnated as a tortoise.