The Mahabharata mentions that Uchchaihshravas rose from the Samudra manthan (churning of the milk ocean) and Indra - the god-king of heaven seized it and made it his vehicle (vahana). He rose from the ocean along with other treasures like goddess Lakshmi - the goddess of fortune, taken by god Vishnu as his consort and the amrita - the elixir of life. The legend of Uchchaihshravas, rising from the milk ocean also appears in the Vishnu Purana, the Ramayana, the Matsya Purana, the Vayu Purana etc. While various scriptures give different lists of treasures (ratnas) of those appeared from the churning of the milk ocean, most of them agree that Uchchaihshravas was one of them.