The Hindu deity Vishnu riding Garuda

Today in Bali statues depicting the Hindu deity Vishnu on his mount, the mythical birdlike creature Garuda, are commonly produced for both tourist and local markets. It is rare, though, to find an example as intricately carved as this one, which most likely dates from the mid-nineteenth to the twentieth century. It is rarer still to find an old statue with its apparent partner, an image of the demon king Ravana on his animal mount, Wilmana.

Vishnu has long been linked with kingship. Rulers in both Java and Bali have been compared to Vishnu and his avatars (incarnations). Kings’ connections to Vishnu were strong in precolonial Balinese courts, where the deity was associated with water and, through his consort, Dewi Sri, with rice agriculture.

How statues such as this one were used is not known. Architectural elements shaped like Garuda (or Vishnu on Garuda) sometimes served as a base for the pillars supporting the roof of a pavilion. When used in such a manner, these statues often contained space for a beam to attach to Garuda’s back. Since this example lacks that feature it was likely a standalone decoration for a royal palace. Nothing tells us it was ever considered sacred, an object to be used in religious ritual or worshiped in its own right.