Garuda (Sanskrit: Garuḍa), the eagle, is a lesser Hindu God, the mount (vahanam) of Vishnu, one of the main forms of God in Hinduism. Garuda is depicted as having a golden body, white face, red wings, and an eagle's beak and wings but a man's body. He is ancient and huge, and can block out the sun.

In Buddhist mythology, the garuda are a race of bird-like divine creatures. They are the enemies of the Nagas, whom they hunt. In the Mahasamyatta Sutta, the Buddha is shown making temporary peace between the Nagas and the Garudas.

In Thailand it is known as Krut (ครุฑ). Garuda is the Malay form of the Phoenix. The Japanese also know the Garuda, which they call the Karura, although recent characters modeled on it retain the spelling Garuda (ガルーダ - see below). These three forms are local pronunciations of this Sanskrit name.

Thailand and Indonesia have the Garuda as their national symbols; the Indonesian national airline is Garuda Indonesia. The Garuda is also known in Thailand as Krut Pha, which is actually a form of Krut, means Krut with stretched wings. Krut Pha in Thailand is a sign of Royal family.