India Ready to Revitalise Prambanan Temple, Fadli Zon Reveals Reasons

The cooperation plan between Indonesia and India for the conservation of the Prambanan Temple complex has entered a more concrete phase. The government has revealed that more than 200 Perwara temples within the Prambanan complex have yet to be revitalised, so India’s support is considered capable of accelerating the preservation of one of the world’s largest Hindu temples. Minister of Culture Fadli Zon stated that India’s interest in participating in the revitalisation of Prambanan Temple was actually conveyed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi about a year and a half ago. “Specifically for Prambanan, they are very interested because it is one of the largest Hindu temples with three main temples and more than 200 Perwara temples,” Fadli Zon said at the Presidential Palace, cited on Wednesday, 8 July 2026. This commitment will now be realised through the launch of a conservation project with President Prabowo Subianto during Modi’s visit to Yogyakarta. Fadli revealed that the biggest challenge in preserving Prambanan currently lies not with the three main temples, which have been fully revitalised, but with the hundreds of Perwara temples surrounding them. “A quarter of the Prambanan Temple complex, the Perwara, those small temples, have not been revitalised. Out of more than two hundred, only six have been revitalised. The three main temples are already done,” he said. According to Fadli, the government welcomes India’s desire to participate in preserving this cultural heritage. India’s involvement is considered relevant given that Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia and holds historical value closely tied to Indian civilisation. “So we certainly welcome the desire from the Indian side to support us in revitalising Hindu temples, in this case specifically Prambanan Temple,” he stated. However, the government cannot yet confirm the investment value or the budget amount to be allocated for the project. Fadli said that the Indian side is still conducting a technical review before determining the form of support to be provided. “Not yet, they are still reviewing,” he said when asked about the value of the cooperation agreement. He added that the Indonesian government had previously carried out revitalisation efforts on several other temples in the area, such as Plaosan Temple, Sewu Temple, and Mendut Temple.