The face of an asura, a demon monster, one of a row of statues at the South entrance to the ancient Khmer city of Angkor Thom, Cambodia. the avenue is lined with asuras on one side, gods on the other, both groups pulling on the body of a giant serpent, in a representation of the Hindu myth of the Churning of the Sea of Milk. The city, built in the late 12th century and covering 900 hectares, remained the capital of Angkor until the 17th century.