Prabowo, Modi launch Prambanan Temple conservation initiative

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday jointly launched the Indonesia-India Collaborative Cultural Heritage Conservation Project for Prambanan Temple at the temple complex in Yogyakarta.

In a symbolic ceremony, Prabowo and Modi unveiled a plaque marking the official launch of the bilateral cultural heritage cooperation project.

The plaque is located near the perwara, the smaller subsidiary temples surrounding the main temple compounds. Around 200 perwara temples are spread across the historic Hindu complex, many of which remain in ruins and await restoration.

Indonesian Culture Minister Fadli Zon, who attended the launch, said a day earlier in Jakarta that the bilateral conservation program would focus on restoring the subsidiary temples.

He made the statement after Prabowo hosted Modi at the Merdeka Palace on Tuesday. The two leaders continued their high-level engagements on Wednesday with a visit to Prambanan Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Travelling aboard a presidential helicopter, Prabowo and Modi viewed one of Southeast Asia’s largest Hindu temple complexes from the air before touring the site in a buggy driven by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.

During the visit, Modi spent time in the temple’s main compound, where he greeted Hindu worshippers performing prayers in one of the courtyards.

Prabowo and Modi later delivered press statements on bilateral cultural cooperation, highlighting the joint temple restoration initiative.

The two leaders had issued a joint statement the previous day at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta following a one-on-one meeting and a bilateral session, reaffirming the longstanding partnership between Indonesia and India while announcing a series of new cooperation agreements.

During the Jakarta meetings, the two countries signed 16 cooperation documents covering defense, research, education, mineral development, and healthcare.

Modi also delivered a speech at Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR) later that day.

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