Talking about tourism in Bali, you will have a lot of things to do and see. This famous small island on the east of Java Island hosts a number of potential attractions from the natural to cultural ones. Here is the latest news about the completion of Garuda Wisnu Kencana Bali.
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Statue of Garuda Wisnu Kencana Bali
Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) is a monumental statue standing about 276 meters above sea level or 120 meters above the ground. Its giant figure lets everyone, even the plane passengers can, easily see it. Do you know, although it stands that tall, the statue is not affected by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Lombok last August 8th?
The news of how Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue in Bali can withstand the earthquake struck still can’t make people forget about the installation of Wisnu’s 4-ton head sculptor as the final touch of construction.
There is a video showing how this work is done. Once uploaded by Nyoman Nuarta, the main artist behind the creation of the GWK statue, on his Instagram, the video quickly went viral and viewed by more than 2.5 million people.
It was a dramatic and actually dangerous process since the crane used to live the head sculpture could be bothered by the wind speed. Fortunately, it was stable, and the installation could run well and safely.
What is more, making the statue of Garuda Wisnu Kencana Bali so phenomenal? Here are five interesting facts about it:
A precious gift for the Republic of Indonesia’s 73th Independence Day
The construction of GWK has been able to be completed on May 20th, 2018. It takes many years for this mega project to get to its final stage, starting from the official nod in 1990 by the late President Soeharto until the current President, Joko Widodo. The idea itself was initiated by a Balinese Nyoman Nuarta and the former Tourism Minister Joop Ave.
it was also supported by Bali Governor Ida Bagus Oka and Minister for Energy and Mining Ida Bagus Sudjana 28 years ago. The long waiting has ended with the official completion in August 2018, making the giant statue become one of the precious gifts for Independence Day.
120 workers in the making process
GWK was made by 120 workers. They did not only do tasks on the ground but also had to hike as high as 121 meters to complete the statue construction.
Beat the height of Liberty
Do you know that Liberty Statue is just 93 meter- tall? Surprisingly, Garuda Kencana Wisnu Bali has 121 meters in height with 3,000 ton of mass.
The second tallest statue in the world
The Spring Temple Buddha in China is still known as the highest statue in the world due to its height reaching 153 meters. Compared to this one, Garuda Wisnu Kencana Bali is just in its below position as the second tallest statue in the world.
Swadharma Ning Pertiwi as inauguration event
The completion of Garuda Wisnu Kencana Bali was marked by an inauguration in the form of art performance called Swadharma Ning Pertiwi on August 4th 2018. There were a number of well-known Balinese artists including singers, dancers and choreographer.
The event itself is not just to celebrate the statue completion but also to appreciate the 120 workers’ good job during the making process. Most of them even have worked from the very beginning, since 28 years ago.
You must have known that Indonesia actually has already had many heritage buildings. They were made by the ancestors. The creating of Garuda Wisnu Kencana Bali is proof that developing countries at this time can also make the same grand masterpiece.
A pedestal or building base will be built as well, close to the iconic GWK statue, functioning as a restaurant to serve more than 500 people. To make it more inviting, the developer has prepared to set a museum and a viewing gallery. Can’t wait to see how majestic the Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue is? Visit Airpaz now to book the cheap flight to Bali.
