Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery: Angkor, Cambodia

At the magnificent temple of Angkor Wat, we are restoring the Churning of the Sea of Milk gallery. This gallery houses the celebrated 160-foot-long (49 meters) bas-relief that depicts one of the most important themes of Hindu mythology: the creation myth in which devas (gods) and asuras (demons) churn the primordial ocean to release amrita, the elixir of immortality.

In December 2008, WMF received full approval from Cambodian authorities to restore the roof of the Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery, following a successful pilot conservation project that began in 2007. As of June 2009, the pilot phase of the Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery roof conservation was completed, and the roof stone removal work was 50 percent complete.