Beautiful Indonesia - The Urn of Nectar

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Tirtha Empul in Tampaksiring As we entered into the complex late in the evening, along nice garden paths leading us to the Holy Springs (Tirtha Empul) in Tampaksiring , there was this massive statue, inspired by Hindu Mythology. The details, the poise and the finesse of this gigantic statue (I imagine about 20 feet high, standing on a pedestal) left me awestruck. Taking photos of such works of art itself is a challenge if one has to add photographic value. In this quest, I tried this angle, and used the zoom to 320 mm, which I hope gives some uniqueness. In the WS, I’ve posted the picture of the full statue from the side. This is a more standard view, but which gives an idea about the magnificience of the sculpture. I heard from a local that this is a statue of Hindu God Vishnu, but I’m not sure. He’s holding an urn of nectar in his hand. A note worthy point to make is that unlike statues elsewhere, most of the statues in Bali are of figures in motion. These statues do not depict characters that are static but in midst of combat. The ability to depict these characters in fluid motion proves the capabilities of the master craftsmen of Bali and also shows that they do really understand the characters they are carving. Focal length = 320 mm Hope you like it.