Prambanan Temple Restoration Project Inaugurated, Hundreds of Perwara Temples to Be Rebuilt

A collaborative restoration project for the Prambanan Temple was inaugurated by President Prabowo Subianto and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. The restoration will focus on rebuilding more than 200 perwara temples, the majority of which are currently in ruins. The cooperation is scheduled to run over a period of 10 years, from 2026 to 2036. The inauguration took place after both leaders toured the Prambanan Temple complex on Wednesday (7/6/2026). Prabowo and PM Modi symbolically unveiled a plaque for the agreement, inscribed with ‘Indonesia-India Collaborative Cultural Heritage Conservation’. The restoration project will employ modern technological approaches, including LiDAR surveys, artificial intelligence-based digital reconstruction, digital documentation, and the anastylosis method. Through this collaboration, both countries hope to achieve maximum results in physical conservation, scientific documentation, improved site management, strengthened cultural cooperation, and the transfer of expertise between the archaeologists of both nations. Prambanan Temple, built in 856 AD by Rakai Pikatan and Rakai Kayuwangi, has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. The complex comprises 240 temple structures with three main temples embodying the Trimurti concept (Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma) and architecture based on Vastu Shastra.