Selamat Datang Monument

Selamat Datang Monument, also known as the Monumen Bundaran HI or Monumen Bunderan HI, is a monument located in Central Jakarta, Indonesia. Completed in 1962 by sculptor Edhi Sunarso, the Selamat Datang Monument is one of the historic landmarks of Jakarta.History and designDuring the 1960s, President Sukarno ordered several constructions and city beautification projects in preparation for the Asian Games IV. These activities included the construction of the Ikada Sport Complex (in what is now Gelora Bung Karno Sport Complex) and several statues, including the Selamat Datang Monument, designated as Tugu Selamat Datang.The design of the statue was sketched by Henk Ngantung, at that time the vice governor of Jakarta. The construction of the statue was done by Indonesian sculptor Edhi Sunarso. The statue depicts two bronze statues of a man and a woman, waving in a welcoming gesture. The woman holds a flower bouquet in her left hand. The figures are five metres from head to toe, or seven metres from the tip of the raised arm to toe. The two figures stand atop a pedestal. In total, the monument is about thirty meters above the ground. The Selamat Datang Monument symbolizes the openness of the Indonesian nation to visitors to the Asian Games IV.The construction of the statue was started on August 17, 1961. During the construction of the statue, Edhi Sunarso was visited by Sukarno, US Ambassador to Indonesia Howard P. Jones, and other ministers in his studio.