Restoration of 218 Prambanan Temple Perwara Targeted for Completion Before 2029

The Indonesian government is targeting the restoration of 218 perwara temples at the Prambanan Temple complex in Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta, to be completed within the next three to five years. Perwara temples are smaller complementary structures that surround the main temple within a temple complex. Head of the Museum and Cultural Heritage (MCB), Indira Estiyanti Nurjadin, stated that the initial plan targeted completion within 10 years. However, following discussions between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government now aims to finish restoring all 218 unrenovated perwara temples before 2029. “The initial plan was for this project to be completed in 10 years. But perhaps because of the excitement, the President also announced and possibly discussed with PM Modi that an attempt would be made to complete all the unbuilt perwara before 2029,” Esti said at the Prambanan Temple Complex on Wednesday. “God willing, it can be done, even though it will be a Herculean task. But at least we have a target and we are enthusiastic about making this a tourism destination,” she continued. At the same location, President Director of PT Aviasi Pariwisata Indonesia (Persero) or InJourney, Maya Watono, said the visit by Prabowo and Modi marked the momentum for starting the revitalisation and conservation project for the Prambanan Temple Complex. “This is a collaborative heritage partnership with India, where we will restore these temples so that hopefully within 3 to 5 years, more than 200 additional temples can stand in Prambanan. Thus, it can become an extraordinarily large temple complex,” Maya said. According to her, the visit also opens up great opportunities for developing Indonesia’s tourism sector, particularly in the Prambanan Temple area, which is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and one of the largest in Southeast Asia. “We have enormous potential to make Prambanan a spiritual and cultural heritage tourism destination,” she stated. Maya said InJourney, through its subsidiary InJourney Destination, is striving to develop tourist destinations while acting as an agent of national development through the aviation and tourism sectors. She added that the destination development is expected to increase the number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia, thereby providing economic and social impacts for communities around the Prambanan Temple area, Yogyakarta, and Central Java. “At the end of the day, it is also nation branding. Today we see how many millions of pairs of eyes are watching this event by PM Modi and the President,” Maya remarked. Head of MCB Indira Estiyanti Nurjadin added that the conservation cooperation is a follow-up to the commitment conveyed by the Indian Government since early this year. According to her, the assistance from the Indian Government is not only in the form of financial support but also collaboration in the implementation of conservation. She explained that India will help restore about a quarter of the total perwara temples, specifically around 54 temples located on the northeastern side of the Prambanan Temple complex. “So, only a quarter is being assisted. And therefore, Mr Prabowo also stated earlier that with this conservation cooperation, Indonesia will also step in together,” she continued. Esti said the cooperation prioritises the concept of collaborative cultural heritage conservation, which includes knowledge exchange, digitalisation, documentation, and the use of three-dimensional scanning technology with laser sensing, photogrammetry, and artificial intelligence. “And we also use the anastylosis technique in archaeology, meaning there will be no changes to the original forms,” she added. She noted that the kick-off for this project will begin one month after the signing of the Letter of Intent. The Ministry of Culture, through MCB together with the Cultural Heritage Preservation Centre, will lead the conservation implementation, while the Indian side will send a team from the Archaeological Survey of India. President Director of InJourney Destination Management, Febrina Intan, confirmed that operational activities and tourist visits at the Prambanan Temple Complex will continue as normal during the perwara temple restoration process. “Operations will continue as usual. If reconstruction occurs for the perwara temples, we will not close the temple completely, but there will be zoning,” she said. “We will follow the directions from MCB, as the party responsible for zone one,” Febrina stated. She said the exact location to be closed for the restoration process is still awaiting the preparation of technical drawings following the signing of the memorandum of understanding. Despite the ongoing restoration, Febrina is optimistic that tourist visits will not be disrupted. According to her, area management will implement a zoning system similar to the revitalisation of Borobudur Temple, allowing conservation work and tourism activities to run side by side.