Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue (also known as GWK statue) is a 122-meter tall statue located in Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, Bali, Indonesia. It was designed by Nyoman Nuarta and inaugurated in September 2018. The total height of the monument, including the 46-meter base pedestal is 122 m (400 ft). The statue was designed to be Indonesia’s tallest statue, and is inspired by an event that finds its roots in Hinduism about Garuda's search for Amrita, the elixir of life. According to this story, Garuda agreed to be ridden by Vishnu in return for the right to use the elixir to liberate his enslaved mother. The monument was completed on 31 July 2018 and inaugurated by Indonesian President Joko Widodo on 22 September 2018.It is the tallest statue of a Hindu deity and the tallest statue in Indonesia. GWK was designed in 1990 by Nyoman Nuarta under the then-Tourism Minister Joop Ave, Energy Minister Ida Bagus Sudjana and Governor of Bali Ida Bagus Oka. The groundbreaking event of the statue’s construction took place 1997. In the late 1990s, the project was halted due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Construction resumed in 2013 after a sixteen year hiatus, when property developer PT. Alam Sutera Realty Tbk (ASR) agreed to financing the construction of the statue and the project. The idea for the monument was not without controversy 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, but some groups agreed with the project as it would attract tourism.
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