Visnu: The Churning of the Ocean
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Basham, Arthur Llewellyn
Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
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In his second avatara Visnu became an enormous tortoise (kurma) and plunged to the bottom of the ocean. The gods (right) and demons (left) twined the divine serpent Vasuki round Mt. Mandara and thus churned the ocean and saved the world, which had been overshelmed by the cosmic flood. Among the treasures which also appeared at the time was the goddess Laksmi, depicted here. Among the gods the trinity (including Visnu himself though he is also deep beneath the waves in the form of the tortoise) are prominent
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This image is provided for research purposes only and must not be reproduced without the prior permission of the Archives Program, Australian National University.
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