Garuda VS Abath

Garuda (Sanskrit: गरुड Garuḍa; Pāli: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a legendary bird or bird-like creature in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faith. He is variously the vehicle mount (vahana) of the Hindu god Vishnu, a dharma-protector and Astasena in Buddhism, and the Yaksha of the Jain Tirthankara Shantinatha. The Brahminy kite is considered as the contemporary representation of Garuda. Garuda is described as the king of birds and a kite-like figure. He is shown either in zoomorphic form (giant bird with partially open wings) or an anthropomorphic form (man with wings and some bird features). Garuda is generally a protector with the power to swiftly go anywhere, ever watchful and an enemy of the serpent. He is also known as Tarkshya and Vynateya.Garuda is a part of state insignia in India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia. The Indonesian official coat of arms is centered on the Garuda. The national emblem of Indonesia is called Garuda Pancasila. The Indian Air Force also uses the Garuda in their coat of arms and named their special operations unit after it as Garud Commando Force. It is often associated with the greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius) stork.

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An Abath is a legendary creature resembling a unicorn, first appearing in records in the 16th century. Accounts of the Abath were brought back by 16th-century European travellers to the Malay Peninsula. Described as female, with a single horn growing from its forehead, it is speculated that these were probably the result of a half-glimpsed Javan or Sumatran rhinoceros. Like the unicorn, a powder made from this horn supposedly served both as an aphrodisiac and as an antidote to poison. However, since the unicorn was invariably represented as male, and since there was only ever one in existence at any time, the Abath seems to have developed independently from the European myths of the one-horned creature.

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