Mandara (; ) is the name of the mountain that appears in the Samudra Manthana episode in the Hindu Puranas, where it was used as a churning rod to churn the Ocean of Milk. Shiva's serpent, Vasuki, offered to serve as the rope pulled on one side by a team of asuras (i.e., demons), and on the other, by a team of devas (i.e., gods). It is frequently identified as a residence of the deity Shiva and a site of intense spirituality.
The primary puranic significance of Mount Mandara is its use as a churning rod to retrieve amrita, the nectar of immortality, from the depths of the primal ocean. In the narrative, the devas (i.e., gods) and asuras (i.e., demons) were unable to uproot the mountain themselves and required the assistance of the celestial serpent, Ananta, to move it to the ocean.
During the churning process, the serpent, Vasuki, served as the churning rope, wrapped around the mountain. The asuras held the serpent's head while the devas held the tail. To prevent the massive mountain from sinking into the ocean floor, the god Vishnu assumed his second avatar as a tortoise, Kurma, to act as a pivoting base for the mountain's weight.
During the churning of the ocean, using Mount Mandara produced fourteen precious treasures, including the goddess Lakshmi, the celestial horse Uchchaihshravas, the white elephant Airavata, Soma (i.e., the moon), and eventually the vessel of amrita. However, the process also released the deadly Kalakuta poison, which Shiva consumed to protect the universe.
Mount Mandara is heavily associated with the god Shiva, who is said to have established a golden residence there. It is the setting for numerous divine interactions, for example, the Skandapurana recounts Shiva playfully addressing Parvati on the mountain inspiring her to perform tapas (i.e., austerities). Mandara itself is described to have practiced tapas for five thousand divine years to win Shiva's favor.
Philosophically, Mount Mandara is interpreted as the world axis or stambha, representing a pillar linking different planes of existence and consciousness. In Tantric and psychological interpretations, the mountain symbolizes the human spine or the physical consciousness that must be "churned" through spiritual practice to achieve the nectar of enlightenment.
The imagery of Mount Mandara and the Churning of the Ocean is a common motif in Hindu and Buddhist art, seen in India and Southeast Asia:
The depiction of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk became very popular in Khmer art, perhaps because their creation myth involved a NÃÂga ancestor.