Strengthening Prambanan Conservation: Culture Minister Dialogues with Indian Archaeology Team
Indonesia’s Minister of Culture Fadli Zon held a dialogue with a restoration team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at the Ministry of Culture office in Senayan, Jakarta. The meeting addressed follow-up measures on conservation and restoration cooperation for the Prambanan temple complex.
In his presentation, ADG Conservation and World Heritage Janhwij Sharma explained that the ASI is India’s premier archaeological institution, established in 1861 and currently managing thousands of historical monuments, including several world heritage sites. Beyond conservation work in India, the ASI actively provides technical restoration support at significant sites across various countries including Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia.
Based on preliminary site visits to the Prambanan area, the ASI team assessed that several subsidiary temples require further conservation and restoration efforts. The anastylosis method—restoration through the reuse of original stones discovered at the site—needs to be implemented. Through this method, temple structures can be reconstructed using the majority of original materials, with new stones added only in limited quantities for structural requirements.
The ASI team also highlighted a major challenge in the restoration process: scattered architectural stone elements across the site. This condition makes identifying stones belonging to each specific temple complex and intricate, requiring careful documentation and stone typology classification stages. Consequently, the initial work phase will focus on comprehensive documentation of temple structures and available stone components.
Furthermore, to ensure the appropriate method, the ASI team proposed implementing a pilot project on one or two subsidiary temples first. Results from this project will subsequently form the basis for determining the most effective working method before restoration extends to other structures on a broader scale.
Responding to this presentation, Fadli Zon expressed appreciation for the ASI’s experience and international contributions to restoring world heritage sites. He emphasised that preservation efforts in the Prambanan temple area should be viewed within a broader cultural landscape context. The area forms part of a historical ecosystem encompassing other important nearby sites such as Sewu Temple and Plaosan Temple, which demonstrate the traces of Hindu and Buddhist tradition acculturation across the archipelago.
“The Prambanan complex does not stand alone, but forms part of a large cultural landscape alongside Sewu and Plaosan temples. Therefore, our conservation efforts not only restore temple buildings, but also preserve the entire cultural ecosystem in the region,” Fadli Zon stated in a written statement on Monday, 16 March 2026.
During the meeting, Fadli Zon also mentioned that the Indonesian government is open to international cooperation that can strengthen conservation efforts for cultural heritage sites, particularly in the Prambanan temple area.
“We welcome the possibility of this collaboration so that the restoration process of subsidiary temples can be accelerated, naturally whilst adhering to cultural heritage preservation principles. We are also open to leveraging technological developments, including digital approaches and artificial intelligence, to help identify and reassemble temple stone components,” he explained.
Furthermore, Fadli Zon emphasised that the Indonesian government is committed to strengthening international cooperation in preserving world cultural heritage. He hoped that cooperation with the ASI could be followed up through preparation of technical documents and formal cooperation mechanisms.
The meeting was also attended by India’s Ambassador to Indonesia Sandeep Chakravorty, Deputy Chief of Mission Bijay Selvaraj, and Surveyor Ganesh Singh. Accompanying the Culture Minister were the Director-General of Cultural Protection and Tradition Restu Gunawan, the Minister’s Special Advisor for Inter-Agency Relations Ismunandar, the Minister’s Special Advisor for Economy and Cultural Industry Anindita Kusuma Listya, the Secretary of the Directorate-General of Cultural Protection and Tradition Wawan Yogaswara, the Director of Cultural Diplomacy Raden Usman Effendi, and the Head of Museums and Cultural Heritage Indira Esti Nurjadin.
This meeting represents an initial step in exploring strategic collaboration between Indonesia and India to preserve world heritage sites in the Prambanan area, whilst strengthening cultural relations between the two nations.