GWK
Mandala Garuda Wisnu Kencana, or Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK), is a 240 hectares private cultural park on the Bukit Peninsula at the southern end of the island of Bali in Indonesia, 15 minutes from Ngurah Rai International Airport. Bukit is a limestone plateau with Uluwatu to the west and Nusa Dua to the east.
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 metres (75.5 ft) high, although the original plan was for a 146-metre (479 ft) gold-plated Vishnu riding Garuda on top of an 11-storey entertainment complex. Garuda wing span will be 64 metres (210.0 ft) across. When it’s completed, it will be the largest statue in the world. 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.
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