WASHINGTON, June 10 – Indonesia has presented a 16-feet statue of Saraswati, a Hindu goddess of education and wisdom to U.S. capital Washington DC as a gift.
The statue stands on a lotus flower and is a block away from the Indian Embassy in front of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi erected in the capital city several years ago, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
Located a little over a mile from the White House, the statue is yet to be formally inaugurated but has already become an attraction for city residents and tourists who visit the city every day.
“Dewi Saraswati is one of the Goddesses in Hinduism, the primary religion practised among the Balinese people in Indonesia, which itself is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country,” a spokesperson from the Indonesian Embassy said.
The statue was first erected in Bali before being flown to the US capital in early April 2013.
It was constructed in mid-April this year by five native Balinese sculptors and was completed in five weeks time.
Instead of using bronze or stone, the sculptors opted for a mixture of cement to model the body of the statue.
“At its conclusion, this statue evidently presents a strong flair of Balinese art as the sculptors put particular touches of gold on the predominantly radiant white figure, especially on the dress and head accessory worn by the Goddess,” the official said.
“It is hoped that the statue could promote the importance of mutual understanding within a diverse society we are increasingly seeing today,” the spokesperson said.
The installment of the statue was initiated by Indonesian Ambassador to the US, Dr. Dino Patti Djalal.
-BERNAMA
