My Trips: Garuda Wisnu Kencana at Bukit Peninsula of Bali, Indonesia

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Garuda Wisnu Kencana at Bukit Peninsula of Bali, Indonesia

Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park (S8 48.541 E115 10.043) located about 12KM South bound from Bali Caollection Nusa Dua. The entrance fee was rp.50,000 per person. (Which was the highest entrance fee among the tourist attraction in Bali)

"Mandala Garuda Wisnu Kencana, or Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) is a private cultural park on the Bukit Peninsula at the southern end of the island of Bali in Indonesia. Bukit is a limestone plateau with Uluwatu to the west and Nusa Dua to the eastern.

It is devoted to the Hindu god Vishnu, and his mount, Garuda, the mythical bird who is his companion.

Currently, the statue of Vishnu is 23 m high, although the original plan was for a 146 meter gold plated Vishnu riding Garuda on top of an 11 storey entertainment complex. The idea was not without controversy, and religious authorities on the island complained that its massive size might disrupt the spiritual balance of the island, and that its commercial nature was inappropriate." Source from Wiki.

Limestone surrounded the Cultural Park

The Flying Fox activity also available over here. After the main entrance, we walked pass the lime stone and a huge statue of bird appear on our left! That was the Mythical bird - Garuda Statue.

The Garuda Mythical Bird statue, which was the companion of The Hindu God - Wisnu

"The statue and its pedestal will be surrounded by more than 240 hectares cultural park which was once an abandoned and unproductive limestone quarry." Source from Here.

Garuda - The Mythical Bird. It was made from tons of copper and brass

This was really a good photography spot. The weather was cooling in the Cultural Park even the sun was direct shine on us, I believe it's gotta do with the Huge Limestone surrounded.
On the left on the Garuda, we continued to climb up the staircase and reached the other Huge statue - The Hindu God Wisnu.

"Designed and built by Nyoman Nuarta, one of Indonesia’s foremost modern sculptor, the Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue or GWK and its pedestal building will be standing 150 meters tall with its wings span 64 meters across. Made from more than 4000 tons of copper and brass, the statue is picturing Lord Wisnu, as the source of wisdom, riding on the back of the mythical bird Garuda as the manifestation of conscience toward Amerta, the perennial goodness." Source from Here.

From this Giant copper and brass statue, you can see the Jimbaran Bay from far....yeah, the place we gonna have our seafood dinner tonight.

There were many souvenir shops in the Cultural Park, and some Cultural Dance which I miss it! Because once I step into the last souvenir shop, I was not able to come back to the performing stage! Oh! What a Miss!

My purpose to this Cultural Park was about photograph. It took an hour for me to finished shooting...And this was also my first time to taste the Indonesia Famous Sosro Tea - Teh Botol. It serve in the bottle and taste like normal tea without milk.