दुःख “मैं” और “मेरा” की भावना से उत्पन्न होता है। जब तक ये भावनाएँ रहेंगी, सच्चा ज्ञान असंभव है। इन्हें दूर करने का अर्थ है अपने अहंकार का उन्मूलन।
Unhappiness comes from the sense of “I” and “mine”. As long as these feelings are there, true knowledge is impossible. Eliminating these means the elimination of one’s ego.
Quote from Garuda Purana
According to Hindu mythology, Garuda is a divine bird and the mount of Lord Vishnu. The bird is believed to have the ability to change its size and shape at will, and is revered for its strength and speed. The legend of Garuda and Vishnu is one of the most popular stories in Hindu mythology, and has been the subject of many works of art and literature. The idea for the Garuda Wisnu Kencana sculpture was inspired by this myth, and was meant to serve as a symbol of Indonesia’s rich cultural heritage and connection to Hinduism.
The epic poems Mahabharata and Ramayana narrate Garuda’s origin story as the son of the sage Kashyapa, his quest to free his mother, and his eventual role as Vishnu’s vehicle.
The Garuda Purana is a text dedicated to the dialogue between Vishnu and Garuda, which includes detailed information on topics like funeral rites and reincarnation.
At a certain point on Jimbaran beach, heading back towards where we are staying, a certain something appears on the horizon…
Zoom in…
… a bit more…
We decided that this warranted further investigation, hence the research conducted and reported, in part, above.
And yes, it is indeed, Vishnu on his mount, Garuda. It is the Garuda Wisnu Kencana. Here in Bali. A short car journey from our Jimbaran base.
So, we grabbed a Grab (excuse the pun) – same concept as Uber – and headed for Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, know locally as GWK.
Having grabbed, we reached our destination. It was devilishly hot today (666 degrees C). We slowly made our way up.
Our ultimate destination and prize was the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Statue. The statue was designed to be the tallest statue in Indonesia, and was inspired by an event rooted in Hinduism about Garuda’s quest for Tirta Amerta , the elixir of life. According to this story, Garuda agreed to be ridden by Vishnu in exchange for the right to use the elixir to free his enslaved mother. The monument was completed on July 31, 2018.
Once atop the hill, we awaited our time slot, and in a sensible sized group (10ish) were led up the structure (via lift) to the 9th and then the 21st floor. The young lady who served as our guide was very knowledgeable and the display extremely interesting and informative.
Other than the sheer scale, uniqueness and complexity of the project (see worldwide comparators below), a number of aspects caught our attention. Perhaps the most interesting was the lengths to which the designers went in order to create human effect in the statue.
The use of copper plate and its treatment to create a likeness to human skin tissue was one such endeavour. 754 triangular modules – cut from 1.2m x 2.4m sections – was forged together, using brass welding. To maintain the skin shape of each module, a skin-stiffening structure was built on the back of a stainless steel frame. In the final stages, the skin was covered with a weatherproof, waterproof, rust resistant coat, as well as Patina Acid to accelerate the oxidation process of the copper. Spraying was done with several intensities to achieve the desired gradation of skin colour. The overall effect is quite remarkable.
The extra height afforded by travelling up to the 21st floor offers panoramic views of the surrounding area.
And there we are, Jimbaran beach, with the airport beyond…
At 121m, Garuda Wisnu Kencana is the 4th tallest statue in the World. Its rivals are listed in order of height below.
(240m) 🇮🇳
(120m) 🇯🇵
(93m) 🇺🇸
Watching me, watching you 👀
And the sun went down on another glorious, fascinating day!
Sailing off to Sparta 
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