218 Prambanan Perwara Temples to be Restored Using AI, No Longer Taking Hundreds of Years
The restoration of 218 perwara temples at the Prambanan Temple complex will soon commence. Indonesia and India have officially entered into a partnership and will combine modern technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), three-dimensional (3D) scanning, LiDAR, and photogrammetry to accelerate the conservation process, which has long been known to be extremely time-consuming.
The conservation collaboration came to light during a visit by President Prabowo Subianto and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Prambanan Temple complex on Wednesday (8/7/2026). The moment also marked the beginning of a strategic partnership between Indonesia and India in cultural heritage preservation.
InJourney President Director Maya Watono stated that the collaboration presents a significant opportunity to expedite the restoration of more than 200 perwara temples that have yet to be reconstructed. She noted that the presence of modern technology means the conservation process no longer needs to take hundreds of years, as was previously imagined.
“So now there are technologies that we can use to speed things up. It is no longer like the old days, otherwise it would take us hundreds of years to build,” Maya told reporters at the Prambanan Temple on Wednesday (8/7/2026).
“We will accelerate everything and with the collaboration between Indonesia and India, this will be very possible, this strategic partnership,” she said.
The restoration is targeted for completion within the next three to five years. She expressed optimism that more than 200 perwara temples can be re-erected, making the Prambanan Temple complex even more magnificent. This condition is believed to strengthen Prambanan’s position as a spiritual tourism destination and a world-class cultural heritage site.
“The hope is that within the next three to five years, an additional 200-plus temples can be erected at Prambanan, making it an extraordinarily large temple complex and attracting both international and domestic tourists,” she said.
Maya also assessed that Prime Minister Modi’s visit provides a significant promotional boost for Indonesia. With India’s population reaching approximately 1.4 billion, Prambanan is seen as having a great opportunity to attract tourists from that country. Beyond providing economic benefits for the communities around Yogyakarta and Central Java, this collaboration also strengthens Indonesia’s image on the global stage.
“We know that India is the largest country in the world with a population of 1.4 billion, so the potential for Indonesian tourism is also very large,” she said.