Garuda in the context of "Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue"

The culture of Indonesia (Indonesian: Budaya Indonesia) has been shaped by the interplay of indigenous customs and diverse foreign influences. As the world's largest archipelagic country, it is home to over 600 ethnic groups, including Austronesian and Melanesian cultures, contributing to its rich traditions, languages, and customs. Indonesia is a melting pot of diversity. Positioned along ancient trade routes between the Far East, South Asia, and the Middle East, the country has absorbed cultural practices influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity. These influences have created a complex cultural tapestry that often differs from the original indigenous cultures.

Examples of the fusion of Islam with Hinduism include Javanese Abangan belief. Balinese dances have stories about ancient Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms, while Islamic art forms and architecture are present in Sumatra, especially in the Minangkabau and Aceh regions. Traditional art, music and sport are combined in a martial art form called Pencak Silat.

Ujjain Simhastha is a Hindu religious mela held every 12 years in the Ujjain city of Madhya Pradesh, India. The name is also transliterated as Sinhastha or Singhastha. In Hindi, the fair is also called Simhasth or Sinhasth (due to schwa deletion). The name derives from the fact that it is held when the Jupiter is in Leo (Simha in Hindu astrology).

It is one of the four fairs traditionally recognized as Kumbha Melas, and is also known as Ujjain Kumbh Mela. According to Hindu mythology, Garuda dropped drops of amrita (the drink of immortality) at four places, while transporting it in a kumbha (pot). These four places, including Ujjain, are identified as the present-day sites of the Kumbh Mela."Kumbh" in its literal English translation means "Pot", which emerged from "Samudra Manthan"(Churning of the Ocean) between Gods and Demons. The term ‘Mela‘ signifies’Fair‘.

Shesha (Sanskrit: शेष, romanised: Śeṣa, lit. 'Remainder'), also known by his epithets Sheshanaga (Sanskrit: शेषनाग, romanised: Śeṣanāga, lit. 'The snake Shesha') and Adishesha (Sanskrit: आदिशेष, romanised: Ādiśeṣa, lit. 'First Shesha'), is a serpentine demigod (naga) and king of the serpents (Nagaraja), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the Puranas, Shesha is said to hold all the planets of the universe on his hoods and to constantly sing the glories of Vishnu from all his mouths. He is sometimes referred to as Ananta (Sanskrit: अनन्त, lit. 'Without end') or Ananta Shesha (Sanskrit: अनन्त शेष, romanised: Ananta Śeṣa, lit. 'Endless Śeṣa/Remainder').

The Narayana form of Vishnu is often depicted as resting on Shesha, accompanied by his consort Lakshmi. Shesha is considered as one of the two mounts of Vishnu alongside Garuda. He is said to have descended upon Earth in the following human forms or incarnations: Lakshmana, brother of Vishnu's incarnation Rama during the Treta Yuga, and according to some traditions, as Balarama, brother of Vishnu's incarnation Krishna during the Dvapara Yuga. According to the Mahabharata (Adi Parva), his father was Kashyapa and his mother Kadru, though in other accounts, he is usually a primordial being created by Vishnu.

Amoghasiddhi (Devanagari: अमोघसिद्धि) is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas of the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism. He is associated with the accomplishment of the Buddhist path and of the destruction of the poison of envy. His name means Unfailing Accomplishment. His consort is Tara, meaning Liberator and his mounts are garudas. He belongs to the family of karma whose family symbol is the double vajra.

The national emblem of Indonesia is called Garuda Pancasila. The main part is the Garuda with a heraldic shield on its chest and a scroll gripped by its legs. The shield's five emblems represent Pancasila, the five principles of Indonesia's national ideology. The Garuda claws gripping a white ribbon scroll inscribed with the national motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika written in black text, which can be loosely translated as "Unity in Diversity". Garuda Pancasila was designed by Sultan Hamid II from Pontianak, supervised by Sukarno, and was adopted as the national emblem on 11 February 1950.

Mātariśvan ("growing in the mother", from the locative of "mother", mātari, and a root śvi "to grow, swell") in the Rigveda is a name of Agni (the sacrificial fire, the "mother" in which it grows being the fire-stick), or of a divine being closely associated with Agni, a messenger of Vivasvat, bringing the hidden fire to the Bhrigus. Sayana identifies him with Vayu, the wind, in RV 1.93.6. In the Atharvaveda and later, the word also has the meaning of "air, wind, breeze". It is also a name of Shiva, of a son of Garuda, and of a Rishi.