Cultural Clashes

Beyond financial woes, the project ignited fervent debate over its design and placement, particularly concerning the controversy surrounding the height that violates the maximum height regulation in Bali. This regulation dictates that no building should exceed the height of a coconut tree, or roughly 15 meters. The proposed 120-meter GWK statue clearly flouted this tradition—a similar occurrence happened more recently when Nuanu Creative City erected its 30-metre-tall Tri Hita Karana Tower.

This sparked outrage among Balinese religious leaders and cultural figures. “Such a towering structure would offend the gods and disrupt the spiritual harmony of Bali,” declared I Wayan Sudharta, a prominent Balinese scholar, in an interview with Kompas in the early 2000s. Critics feared that the pursuit of commercial tourism and architectural grandeur would eclipse the island’s sacred traditions. Proponents, including Nuarta and the foundation, argued that the statue was not a building but a work of art, a symbol of devotion rather than a profane structure. They also emphasised its location on the barren limestone hills of Ungasan, arguing that it would not overshadow any sacred temples. The debate raged for years, requiring extensive consultations with religious councils (Majelis Desa Adat) and community leaders to reach a compromise.

Further complicating the narrative was the controversy surrounding the location, knowing that Vishnu is one important deity representing ‘north’ but the statue is built in south Bali, as addressed and elaborated in the sacred Balinese cosmology Dewata Nawasanga. The Dewata Nawasanga is a fundamental concept in Balinese Hinduism, an ideological compass that assigns specific deities to the eight cardinal directions and the centre, each with their own colour, mantra, and other attributes. Lord Vishnu is commonly associated with the north, symbolising water, sustenance, and the preservation of the cosmos. The decision to place a colossal Vishnu statue in the southern part of Bali, specifically in Ungasan, was seen by many as a blatant disregard for sacred spatial ordering.

“Placing Vishnu in the south is like turning our cosmology on its head. It shows a lack of understanding of our deepest spiritual principles,” lamented a Balinese high priest to The Jakarta Post in the mid-2000s. For many, this was not merely a matter of geographical placement but a profound cultural affront, threatening to disrupt the spiritual equilibrium of the island. The project’s developers, however, offered a counter-narrative. They argued that the statue’s location on the Bukit Peninsula, a high point, symbolised Vishnu’s omnipresence and his benevolent gaze watching over all of Bali. They also emphasised that the cultural park would serve as a centre for educating visitors about Balinese cosmology and philosophy, thereby enhancing understanding rather than diminishing it. The sheer scale and artistic merit, they contended, would transcend rigid directional interpretations.