Bali keris for comment

[Amuk Murugul]

Hullo everybody,

The two most famous(?) Hindu epics in the Nusantara archipelago are: Ramayana, Mahabrata.
Two well-known bird-figures from these epics are: Jatayu (vulture?) from Ramayana, Garuda (eagle?) from Mahabrata. ( Jatayu was/is the son/nephew of Garuda, depending on which version you follow).

Depictions of these figures are quite common. Sometimes, one is mistaken for the other.

In keeping with the assumed origin of the hilt, I have looked at Balinese depictions and have found one without a beak.
For those interested, please follow this link:

http://www.travel-images.com/photo-indonesia6.html

Best.