In the Hindu myth of the churning of the ocean, Mount Mandara was used as the churning rod.
The episode is known as Samudra Manthana, or the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. Devas and asuras worked together to churn the cosmic ocean in an attempt to obtain amrita, the nectar of immortality. Mount Mandara served as the central rod, while the serpent Vasuki became the churning rope.
Because the mountain began to sink, Vishnu appeared in the form of Kurma, the tortoise avatar, and supported it on his back. The story describes many things emerging from the ocean, including the goddess Lakshmi, the divine physician Dhanvantari, and the deadly poison halahala. Mount Meru is also important in Hindu cosmology, but it is not the mountain identified as the churning rod in this episode.