Kusuma Bangsa Park

Kusuma Bangsa Park

Taman Kusuma Bangsa
0.9672°S 116.7030°E / -0.9672; 116.7030
Location	Nusantara
Designer	I Nyoman Nuarta
Opening date	17 August 2024 (79th independence anniversary)
Dedicated to	National Heroes of Indonesia

Kusuma Bangsa Park (Indonesian: Taman Kusuma Bangsa) is a national memorial park or site of Indonesia, located right in front of the Garuda Presidential Palace within the national capital Nusantara, facing the Ceremonial Plaza (Plaza Seremoni). The statues of Sukarno and Hatta, the founding fathers of Indonesia, are the main highlight of the Kusuma Bangsa Park, symbolizing the sacred spirit of Indonesia's independence and unification. Kusuma Bangsa Park was first officially opened to the public on 17 August 2024, in accordance with the 79th Indonesian Independence Day celebration.

Nomenclature

Traditionally, in ancient era, the Kusuma Bangsa is a Javanese and Balinese figurative or phoetic phrase of Old Javanese-origin, referring to the heroes or warriors. In modern Indonesian context, the sentence was taken as the mean to refers the National Heroes of Indonesia. The name was chosen to commemorate the founding fathers of Indonesia, Sukarno, an Eastern Javanese figure who declared the Indonesian proclamation of independence and also as a tribute for I Nyoman Nuarta, a Balinese man who designed the Kusuma Bangsa Park. The phrase of "Kusuma Bangsa" actually also already used in several older national sites of Indonesia in East Java, for instance, the Pelajar Pejuang Bersenjata Monument in Central Surabaya and Kusuma Bangsa Cemetery in Jombang.

History

The ancient Javanese-style depiction of Garuda in 15th century Sukuh temple, Central Java.

Kusuma Bangsa Park was designed by a native Balinese artist and sculptor, I Nyoman Nuarta. The park or site configured facing the Nusantara Ceremonial Plaza right in front of the Garuda Presidential Palace, consisted of two statues of Indonesian founding fathers that are surrounded by the wings of Garuda, a mythical creature in pre-Islamic Indonesia (especially in Java and Bali Hinduism-based mythologies), as the representation of protection and sacred blessing for Nusantara specifically and Indonesia in general. The Garuda-based construction in the Kusuma Bangsa Park itself is a form of concept continuation from the Garuda National Presidential Palace.

The Garuda Pancasila, the national emblem of Indonesia.

During its conceptualization, it was debated either the statues of the founding fathers should be surrounded by the wings of Garuda or just a huge egg between them. But eventually, the wings of Garuda was chosen because it represents the historical religious beliefs of Indonesia, where Garuda seen as a sacred creature at the time.

See also

• National Monument
• Garuda Palace
• Garuda Pancasila