A Hindu Goddess Arrives To Bless Embassy Row

When Dino Djalal, the Ambassador from Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, wanted to give a gift to Washington, D.C., he chose a statue of a Hindu goddess. A 10-foot high statue of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of Education, now stands in front of the Indonesian Embassy.

The four handed statue done in traditional Balinese art was built by five sculptors from Bali in three month on site after flying down the basic steel structure from Indonesia. The body of the goddess has been done with a mix of cement.
One of the hands holds prayer beads (aksamala) symbolic of the unending process of learning and another one holds a manuscript or “lontar” depicting source of knowledge. The remaining two hands are seen playing the musical instrument Veena with which Saraswati is ideally represented. The Veena stands for arts and culture.
The statue has the goddess sitting on a large lotus which according to the Hindu religion is the symbol of purity of knowledge. A white swan by her side represents the wisdom gained from knowledge.  

HuffPo: A Statue Grows in D.C

• NPR: A Hindu Goddess Arrives To Bless Embassy Row