What does the famous Churning of the Ocean of Milk relief show?

Gods and demons pulling a serpent around a mountain

Angkor Carvings Quiz: Bas-Reliefs, Apsaras and the Churning Sea

Long galleries at Angkor Wat hold hundreds of meters of carved stories, and this Angkor carvings quiz guides you through them. Play 10 interactive questions on the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, the Battle of Kurukshetra, the Battle of Lanka, Suryavarman II's procession, heaven and hell scenes, apsara and devata figures, Bayon's faces and the pink stone of Banteay Srei.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Churning
What does the famous Churning of the Ocean of Milk relief show?
Serpent
Which serpent is used as the rope in the churning myth?
Turtle
Which god supports the mountain as a turtle?
Epic
Which epic battle at Kurukshetra is carved at Angkor Wat?
Lanka
Which epic does the Battle of Lanka relief come from?
King
Which king appears in a grand procession relief?
Dancers
What are the celestial female figures carved on the walls called?
Count
Roughly how many devata figures decorate Angkor Wat?
Bayon
What is the Bayon temple famous for?
Banteay
Which small temple is known for intricate carvings in pink sandstone?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What does the famous Churning of the Ocean of Milk relief show?
Answer: Gods and demons pulling a serpent around a mountain
They seek the elixir of immortality.
Q2: Which serpent is used as the rope in the churning myth?
Answer: Vasuki
It wraps around Mount Mandara.
Q3: Which god supports the mountain as a turtle?
Answer: Vishnu
This avatar is called Kurma.
Q4: Which epic battle at Kurukshetra is carved at Angkor Wat?
Answer: The Mahabharata battle
Armies clash along the gallery.
Q5: Which epic does the Battle of Lanka relief come from?
Answer: The Ramayana
Rama fights Ravana.
Q6: Which king appears in a grand procession relief?
Answer: Suryavarman II
He built Angkor Wat.
Q7: What are the celestial female figures carved on the walls called?
Answer: Apsaras and devatas
Each has distinct hair and jewelry.
Q8: Roughly how many devata figures decorate Angkor Wat?
Answer: Around 1,800
Some even show smiling teeth.
Q9: What is the Bayon temple famous for?
Answer: Giant smiling stone faces
Its reliefs also show daily life.
Q10: Which small temple is known for intricate carvings in pink sandstone?
Answer: Banteay Srei
It dates from 967.

Angkor Carvings Quiz – Bas-Reliefs, Apsaras and the Churning Sea

Angkor Wat, built under King Suryavarman II in the 12th century, has long galleries of bas-reliefs. The most famous shows the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, with gods and demons pulling the serpent Vasuki around Mount Mandara while Vishnu, as a turtle, supports it.

Other reliefs depict the Battle of Kurukshetra from the Mahabharata, the Battle of Lanka from the Ramayana, a royal procession of Suryavarman II and scenes of heaven and hell. Around 1,800 devata and apsara figures, each with unique hair and jewelry, decorate the temple.

Nearby, the Bayon is known for giant smiling faces and reliefs of daily life and battles. Banteay Srei, dating from 967, features some of the finest carving in pink sandstone.

What This Quiz Teaches

History and art fans will enjoy these questions.

Which myths are carved
Which epics appear
Who built the temples
What figures decorate the walls
Which temples stand out

Did You Know?

Apsara dance is still performed in Cambodia.
Some reliefs were once painted or gilded.
Visitors walk the galleries counterclockwise.
Bayon reliefs show markets and fishing.
Angkor is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.