Culture Minister Emphasises the Importance of Accelerating Temple Restoration
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Culture Minister Fadli Zon has emphasised the importance of accelerating the restoration of temple buildings, involving collaboration among various parties to enhance cultural, historical, and religious tourism.
“Proactive strategies are needed to seek support from various parties, namely the central government, local governments, and the private sector, to fund further restorations,” said Fadli Zon in an official statement received in Jakarta on Saturday.
During a working visit to the Sewu Temple Complex and Ratu Boko Palace in Yogyakarta on Friday (17/4), the Culture Minister stated that the temples have great potential and require an acceleration of the restoration process.
According to him, this commitment is taken because restoration not only relates to preservation but is also expected to provide economic impacts and make the temple complexes more complete in the coming years.
He explained that the existence of the Sewu Temple Complex has been recorded since ancient times in the Manjusrigrha Inscription dated 792 AD.
Furthermore, the Culture Minister revealed that Ratu Boko Palace is a national cultural heritage asset covering around 16 hectares in Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta.
This site is one of the assets of the Ministry of Culture and affirms its position as a node of heritage as well as tourism.
The Culture Minister mentioned that the attractions of Ratu Boko Palace include gate architecture, bathing pools, pavilions, and an authentic combination of Hindu-Buddhist structures.
Based on the inscriptions found, this site was built in the 8th century AD, with a landscape that remains very original.
He reaffirmed the Ministry of Culture’s commitment to strengthening the preservation and utilisation of cultural heritage as part of the national cultural development strategy that is sustainable.
“We hope that more and more people will visit Ratu Boko Palace.
Because here we can enjoy a journey like ‘time travel’ to the past with the extraordinary relics of our ancestors,” said Minister Fadli.