evidence: Dedicated to the mythological bird Jatayu from Ramayana, this new colossal sculpture is a ‘towering tribute to women’s safety and honour’. Even though Jatayu could not stop Ravana from abducting Sita, his sacrifice has symbolized valour and sacrifice for eons. [...] The bird, a vulture, is not standing tall with his head held up. He is lying on his back, defeated, and injured with a broken wing. He is seen shrieking, with curled talons, as he gasps in the final moments of his life. Despite this, he is still fighting to protect the woman Sita from being abducted, as he falls onto a rock. Standing as a symbol for the protection of women, this is how the artist-sculptor-filmmaker Rajiv Anchal envisioned Jatayu at the Jatayu Earth’s Centre in Kerala. [...] For the uninitiated, legend has it that Jatayu (a noble soul in the form of a vulture, as per the Indian epic Ramayana) lost his life during a battle with the demon King Ravana when Ravana abducted Sita, wife of Lord Rama. Ravana slit his wing, and it is believed that he fell on a rock in the heart of Kerala. 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram, in the Jatayu Earth’s Centre at Chadayamangalam, is said to be the exact spot where he fell. Here now rests a colossal sculpture of Jatayu at an altitude of 1200 feet, built in honour of his valorous act.