ABSTRACT
The Churning of the Sea of Milk is an epic Hindu creation myth. Spectacularly carved into the walls of Angkor Wat, it is also etched into the psyche of Cambodian people. The story involves a great tug-of-war in which gods and demons struggle to find the elixir of life, upheaving nature in the process. Pushing and pulling their ‘rope’, which is the giant serpent Vasuki, their efforts steadily turn the ‘churning stick’ of Mount Mandara, deep in the cosmic sea. The massive creative friction that they generated is said to have moved mountains, turned the sea into foam and given rise to the essence of life and immortality, as well as a deadly poison. 1 Representing tension and change, destruction and creation, this iconic myth from Cambodia’s past bears down upon the present with piercing archetypal relevance. Such are the dramatic struggles and transformative changes unfolding within the realm of people and nature in the Royal Kingdom today. In this dynamic and productive domain, human endeavours are embedded recursively within nature, through interconnected processes of conflict, convergence, social turmoil and environmental change.
