SCULPTOR TAKES 10 YEARS TO COMPLETE WORLD'S LARGEST BIRD SCULPTURE IN INDIA
Kerala, India, is known for its blissful setting, boosted by the incredible views of nature, best seen from Jatayu Earth's Center. It is also home to the world's most massive bird sculpture.
The Earth Center was a joint venture between the country's tourism department and Rajiv Anchal (a film director and sculptor) and has been open since the end of 2017. Since then, the massive sculpted bird has been attracting tourists from all over the world.
The bird, named Jatayu, measures 200 feet long, 150 feet wide, and is 70 feet tall. What makes the sculpture even more special and unique is that it features meticulous details that wouldn't usually appear on a large scale sculpture. Some of these details include the individually decorated and layered feathers.
The massive Jatayu sculpture includes impressive wings, which splay onto the ground and allows visitors to walk on top of the eagle and climb onto his claws and head. Visitors are allowed to climb the massive structure and are welcome to enter, as the bird's body doubles as a roof for the Earth Center building.
But building such a large sculpture cannot be easy. Anchal and his team took 10 years to complete the impressive Jatayu bird. However, despite being a magnificent piece of design and architecture, the sculpture also holds a significant context as the Jatayu is a symbolic figure in the Hindu epic Ramayana.
Jatayu is known as a "noble bird of divine origin". The legend speaks of Jatayu, who tried to rescue Sita, the wife of the famed Lord Rama (an incarnation of Vishnu and Krishna), who was being abducted by the demon king Ravana.
After Jatayu went into battle with Ravana, the king cut off Jatayu's left wing and escaped with Sita. It was decided to build the Jatayu Earth Center to pay tribute to the noble figures dedication to women's safety and honour it with this gigantic statue.
The sculpture also symbolically recognizes a "bygone era when humans, animals, and other living forms care for each other, and fellow beings lived peacefully on this Earth".