In its most enduring avatar, Garuda’s association with Vishnu as his ever-faithful mount has presented to us the iconic image of royalty, ‘dharma,’ and kingly power – but as the powerful son of sage Kashyap and Vinata, his legend extends to much more than Vishnu. Executed in the lost wax ‘madhichista vidhana’ technique is this anthropomorphic form of a man with the features of a bird, making Garuda the fearsome protector of the weak and ever watchful enemy of the Nagas (interestingly, the Naga Kaliya had sought refuge in the waters of Vrindavan, for that was the one place Garuda could not reach him).
T A Gopinatha Rao, writing in his ‘Elements of Hindu Iconography’ demonstrates that texts like the Shilparatna and the Shritatvanidhi present Garuda with an eagle-like nose or beak, an emerald-coloured body, and golden-yellow wings. While his depiction majorly coincides with that of Vishnu, when placed individually, Garuda is visualised with two hands clasped in a namaskaram, or the ‘anjali mudra.’ What perhaps makes Garuda’s presence immensely iconic is not so much for his space as the king of birds, or as Vishnu’s mount, but that we find its divine presence in not simply Hinduism, but Buddhism and Jainism, and as a cultural and national symbol for countries like Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Thailand. In that respect then, this ‘panchaloha’ bronze statue, adorning bespoke ornamentation, a regal ‘mukuta,’ and standing on a raised lotus plinth, is one of highly unique and significant visual mastery to acquire.
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