Indonesia’s top political leadership, including the then-President Joko Widodo, attended the inauguration of Garuda Vishnu Kencana, the world’s tallest Hindu statue, in September 2018, reaffirming the state’s backing and across-the-board consensus of upholding diversity in the most populous Muslim nation
In September 2018, President Joko Widodo presided over a grand celebration of Indonesia’s multiculturalism when he inaugurated the world’s tallest Hindu sculpture in Bali, a Hindu-majority area in the most populous Muslim nation. Top Indonesian leaders, such as former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, were among thousands who gathered for the event. Fireworks lit up the night sky, and traditional dancers performed as the statue of Lord Vishnu sitting astride his companion and vessel—the mythical bird Garuda—was unveiled 28 years after it was commissioned.
Widodo called the Garuda Vishnu Kencana atop Ungasan Hill in the Garuda Vishnu Kencana Cultural Park a masterpiece and a source of pride. He said it shows that they have inherited extraordinary masterpieces such as Borobudur and Prambanan from ancient civilizations and built a new civilization, creating new globally-recognized cultural masterpieces.
Why is this story important now? In an age of rising intolerance, Indonesia offers a powerful model where religion, culture, and nationhood coexist.
Prambanan and Borobudur: Temples of Coexistence
Around 700 km from Bali, Prambanan in southern Java is known for another major Hindu religious site in Indonesia—a terraced complex of temples dedicated to Trimurti or triad of gods Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), and Shiva (destroyer), in charge of one aspect each of creation. The site includes Lara Jonggrang, Indonesia’s largest Shiva temple.
King Dhaksa is said to have built Lara Jonggrang (Slender Maiden), which gets its name from the Hindu goddess Durga‘s statue in the temple, on a four-square plane surrounded by four walls with as many gates, in the early 10th century, to worship Shiva. The Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma temples in the complex, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999, are on a higher terrace decorated with depictions from the Hindu epic Ramayana. Four smaller temples are located on the lower terrace.
Borobudur: The World’s Largest Buddhist Temple
Borobudur near Yogyakarta in central Java is the world’s biggest Buddhist temple, with hundreds of reliefs depicting Buddhist thought and Buddha’s life. The dark stone temple, dating from the 9th century, represents a Buddhist view of the universe. It comprises a series of square and circular terraces for visitors to move upward from the everyday world to a large bell-shaped stupa representing salvation.
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Prambanan and Borobudur embody Indonesia’s pluralistic heritage. National ideology Pancasila for peaceful co-existence, enshrined in the Constitution, has, since 1945, sustained one of the most striking forms of pluralism Indonesia represents in the form of multiple ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and religious identities.
Pancasila complements the Islamic middle path Ummah Wasat, the foundation of Islamic roots of Indonesian pluralism, rooted in the teachings of the Quran and its emphasis on the diversity of tribes, sects, nations, people, races, and languages. It includes humanism, democracy, and social justice.
The Medina Charter: Islam’s Pluralist Blueprint
Pancasila is in the spirit of the Prophet Muhammad’s modus vivendi—Mithaq-al-Madinah or Medina Charter—under which he ruled Medina after his flight from Mecca. The Prophet governed as per this tripartite compact between Mecca’s immigrants, the indigenous Muslims of Medina, and its Jews. Medina Charter formalized a social contract giving Muslims and non-Muslims identical rights, duties, and religious autonomy.
Bali, one of the most popular tourist destinations globally, is the centrepiece of Indonesian diversity, with religious autonomy best reflected by its most sought-after dish, Babi guling (turning pig). Babi guling is a tender and juicy roasted suckling pig dish made with garlic, ginger, and turmeric on a hand-turned skewer over the fire.
The pork dish is a rare sight in Muslim-majority Indonesia. Pork is forbidden in Islam, and Muslims consider pigs unclean. Muslim dietary restrictions are not applicable in Bali, where around 90% or around 3.4 million Indonesian Hindus are concentrated. Virtually every street in Bali has a temple dedicated to Hindu gods.
Islamic Civil Society and the State’s Role in Pluralism
Indonesia’s civil society organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama, the world’s biggest Muslim group, and Muhammadiyah have played a key role in promoting pluralism and democracy, human rights, justice, and gender equality. The presence of Indonesia’s top political leadership at the inauguration of Garuda Vishnu Kencana reaffirmed the state’s backing and across-the-board consensus of upholding diversity.
The influence of Vishnu and other Hindu deities extends beyond religion in Indonesia. Vishnu, the deity believed to be the preserver and protector of the universal equilibrium, is part of Indonesia’s cultural identity. With a wingspan of 65m, Garuda Vishnu Kencana showcases Vishnu in a meditative state riding on Garuda’s back with his eyes half closed. A pedestal makes the statue 30m taller than the Statue of Liberty.
In Lombok, a lily-covered pond devoted to Lord Vishnu is part of the 18th-century Pura Lingsar Temple complex. Nestled in rice fields, Hindus and Muslims adhering to the Waktu Telu tradition pray together at the complex. Vishnu’s vehicle, Garuda, features in Indonesia’s national emblem with the national motto ‘Unity in Diversity’.
Indonesia’s national airline, Garuda, is also named after Vishnu’s vehicle. The country’s currency notes once carried another deity, Ganesh’s picture. A statue of another Hindu deity, Saraswati, was installed at the premises of the Indonesian embassy in Washington in 2013 as a symbol of religious diversity.
Saraswati at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono presided over the installation and purification ceremonies of the white and gold statue of Saraswati, the goddess of learning and wisdom, to honour the Indonesian Hindu population. He made blessings of Saraswati in the name of Allah, the most benevolent,’ and spoke about Indonesian diversity. Yudhoyono’s plane flew the holy water needed for the rituals from Bali to avoid restrictions on carrying liquids on regular flights.
Sculptors were also flown from Bali to carve the statue on-site of the goddess worshipped on Basant Panchami as the embodiment of learning. Basant Panchami is celebrated as Hari Raya Saraswati (the great day of Saraswati) in Bali, marking the beginning of the Pawukon calendar, and the onset of spring when the yellow flowers of the mustard crop bloom.
Saraswati’s statue was installed at the Indonesian embassy in Washington as a beacon of religious tolerance for the world and the values it embodies. A swan and a peacock flanking Saraswati represent beauty and pride, sans ego and vanity. Saraswati’s idol holds a book depicting learning. A stringed instrument (veena) of the goddess represents the harmonising of mind and body. Prayer beads of Saraswati depict spiritual knowledge. Saraswati represents simplicity and elegance. She is depicted wearing a white dress, representing knowledge for overcoming darkness and ignorance.
The Saraswati statue, Garuda Vishnu Kencana, Borobudur, and Prambanan showcase the country’s rich cultural heritage and its continuing embrace of diversity, making Indonesia a shining example of pluralism, where diversity is celebrated and respected. Indonesia reminds us that pluralism is not an abstract idea, but a living force shaped by art, faith, food, and law. Share this story and help celebrate what unity in diversity truly means.
