Sculpture Garuda
The sculpture carved of sandalwood shows the god's bird of the Indian mythology who seems particularly in Hindu myths. Cross the big picture for a detailed view. Choose other views, while you click on the small pictures.
Garuda is in the Indian mythology queue-killing half a person, half adlergestaltiges riding animal of the Vishnu, son of the Kashyapa and the Vinata. In the Asian mythology the meaning of a god's messenger who delivers news and instructions of the gods to the people has of the Garuda at the same time. In many Asian countries (for example, Thailand and Indonesia) is used of the Garuda, besides, as a Highness's sign or office seal by the authorities of the government. In primeval times the old creator's God and father of the creatures had Kashyapa, the "old tortoise's man", once two wives: Vinata, the sky, and Kadru, the earth. Kadru bore a huge number of eggs of which the most different kinds of Nagas slipped. Nevertheless, Vinata laid only three eggs. Jealously on Kadru and her numerous descendants she broke the first egg. Nevertheless, the being in the egg had still accepted no shape: there originated the flash. The second egg contained a beaming youngster. He also had a premature birth no legs. It was Aruna, the daybreak, the carriage driver of the sun-god Surya. Arun was not so enthusiastically from his impediment, he cursed his mother and made them thus the slave to her rival, the queue mother Kadru. When the third egg was incubated, the mighty Garuda slipped out. He required immediately to release his mother. Nevertheless, the Nagas required the immortality-Elixir Amrita as a consideration which Garuda had to steal as a result from the gods. Thus the everlasting hostility explains itself between the Nagas and the Garuda. The spiritual contrast of bird (eagle) and queue is also known with us in the west by the old Sumerians (see, e.g., in Nietzsches Zarathustra, also in coat of arms and flag of Mexico).
Garuda (Thai: ครุฑ, krut) is the personal emblem of the Thai king who is valid generally as an incarnation Vishnus. Buddhist kings of the present Chakri dynasty are named after Rama, an incarnation known far away Vischnus: the present king, page m. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, is Rama IX. As the only creature to which it is allowed to stand on the head above the king is illustrated of the Garuda on royal banners. Only religious or royal buildings, objects or papers have the honour to illustrate Garuda. The king lends the royal Garuda insignia also to commendable enterprises and banks, hence, Garuda can also look down from facades of known banks on the busy people. With the Garuda it normally concerns not a lonesome bird. In Buddhist legends big birds appear in dreams, the Garudas are her kings. They live on prickly trees in a wood called Garutmatvan which is in the slopes of the mountain Meru. Quotation: In the Cambodia architecture it is carried not only Vischnu, but his whole temple by Garuda. The bird appears here in big number, regular to caryatid rows which hold the load of the building which is intended Vaikunthas, the God's heavenly flat as an earthly simulation. Thai artists took over this symbolism, inden they showed a ring of Garudas which lift the chapel of the emerald Buddha (see Wat Phra Kaeo) in Bangkok in the air. Nevertheless, this motive, rows of Garudas with Nagas in the claws, is to be found in Thailand relatively seldom.
