Image: Churning of the Ocean

A 19th-century roundel of the churning of the ocean by the gods and demons, with Vishnu in his Kurma (turtle) avatar.

(Wellcome Reference: L0043629)

More about Kurma and Samudramanthan at Wikipedia.

Image: Kurma

A roundel of Vishnu in his avatar as Kurma, the tortoise.

19th century 

(Wellcome Images L0043633)

More about Kurma at Wikipedia.

Detail:

Image: Kurma

Kurma
(Image source)

Image: Vishnu - Avatars.

Image Source: Wikipedia. Vishnu - Avatars.

Image: Churning with Mount Mandara

The Churning of the Ocean

Tamil Nadu, circa 1850

(British Museum)

You can read more about the Samudra manthan at Wikipedia.

From the Museum site: Viṣṇu, shown here as Kūrma, supports Mount Mandara on his shell, around which the five-headed serpent Vásuki is coiled. At the summit of the mountain is a temple topped by a golden roof on which are four golden kalashas. Near the heads of Vásuki stands a dark skinned figure sporting a Shaiva tripundra (three lines) on his forehead and a moustache, clad in short trousers. Near its tail is Vali, with a Vaishnava namam (emblem), dressed in courtly attire and wearing a crown. These two figures represent the asuras and devas who pull Vásuki's head and tail.

Image: Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean

Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean
India, Himachal Pradesh, circa 1760
(Image source: Philadelphia Museum of Art)

From the Museum site: The Hindu god Vishnu activates each cycle of existence by creating the universe, together with the devas (gods who uphold cosmic order) and the asuras (anti-gods or demons who disrupt it). Vishnu intervenes in the perpetual struggle by incarnating in earthly forms called avatars, usually standardized as a set of ten. The second of Vishnu’s avatars was the tortoise Kurma (seen here as the circle in the water that supports the pink mountain on which Vishnu sits). When chaos and floods devastated the earth, all good things were lost in an ocean of milk. Kurma dove to the ocean bottom and the devas and asuras joined forces to set the cosmic mountain Meru on his back. Then the serpent king Vasuki wrapped around the mountain as a churning rope. The devas and asuras stood on opposite sides, churning the ocean of milk to release the treasures.

Details:

Image: Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean

Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean,
circa 1860
(Victoria and Albert Museum; Wikimedia)

You can read more about the Churning of the Ocean
(Samudra Manthan) at Wikipedia.

Detail:

The gods: Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma

Image: Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean

Image source: Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean

Detail:

Image: Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean

Image source: Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean

Image: Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean

Image source: Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean

Image: Kurma and Vasuki

Image source: Cambodian sculpture of Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean

Detail:

Image: Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean

Image source: Kurma and Vasuki churning the Ocean

Image: Kurma and Vasuki churn the Ocean

Image source: Kurma and Vasuki churn the Ocean

Image: Incarnation of the Tortoise

Image source: Incarnation of the Tortoise; 19th-century European print

Image: Kurma and Vasuki at the churning of the Ocean

Image source: Kurma and Vasuki at the churning of the Ocean

Image: Kurma churning the ocean

Image source: Kurma and Vasuki churning the ocean; European print from around 1820

Detail: