India, Indonesia Partner to Restore Prambanan Temple Complex

India and Indonesia have partnered for the restoration of the Prambanan temple complex located in the Special Region of Yogyakarta in southern Java.

Indonesia's Culture Minister Fadli Zon met a team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The purpose of this meeting was to conserve the temple complex, and that too within a broader cultural landscape - which also includes the Sewu and Plaosan temples.

In a statement, the minister said, "Prambanan is not a single or isolated complex, rather it is part of a larger cultural landscape along with the Sewu and Plaosan temples. Therefore, the conservation work should not only involve the restoration of the temples, but also ensure the protection of the entire cultural ecosystem."

The ASI team also stated that the architectural fragments scattered on the ground make this work difficult, as matching the stones accurately with specific temples requires very meticulous cataloguing.

Restoration of Prambanan Temple using the 'Anastylosis' technique

According to a report by the Indonesian news agency 'Antara', after the initial inspection of the site, ASI experts decided that the repair and additional conservation work will be carried out using the 'Anastylosis' technique.

In this technique, buildings are reassembled using the original stones found at the site. The main aim of this method is to preserve the authenticity of the place. However, new stones can also be used to strengthen the structure of the complex.

About Prambanan Temple

It is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia. It is locally known as the 'Temple of the Slender Virgin' (Roro Jonggrang). It was built in the 9th century by the Sanjaya dynasty; this was a Hindu kingdom that ruled central Java.

It is dedicated to the Hindu Trimurti—the three main deities of Hinduism: Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.

This temple complex remained buried underground for centuries, after which it was rediscovered in the 19th century and restored.

In the year 1991, UNESCO declared Prambanan Temple as a 'World Heritage Site'.

Architecture of Prambanan Temple

The architectural style of Prambanan clearly shows the influence of both local Javanese traditions and elements taken from South India—especially the Pallava style.

Its tall structures, adorned with intricate carvings depicting scenes from the Ramayana epic and other Hindu stories, are an unmatched example of the excellent craftsmanship of that era.

The main temple complex includes a total of 240 temples. The main attraction of this complex is its central courtyard, where eight main and eight smaller temples are built on a raised platform.

Other Asian temples conserved with India's cooperation

In 2024, at the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "India considers the conservation of global heritage as its responsibility, and therefore, we are providing assistance for heritage conservation not only in India, but also in countries of the 'Global South' (developing countries)."

He further said, "India is assisting in the conservation of many heritage sites such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Cham temples in Vietnam and Bagan stupas in Myanmar."

Angkor Wat—considered the largest Hindu temple complex—had its initial restoration work carried out by ASI between 1986 and 1993.

Similarly, while restoring the 'My Son' temples in Vietnam, ASI found Shivlings that were worshipped during the ancient 'Champa Kingdom'.

In Myanmar, India has restored the Ananda Temple and Bagan Pagoda of the 11th to 13th centuries, which were damaged during the 2016 earthquakes.

In Laos, ASI restored the Wat Phou temple in two phases at a cost of 17 crore rupees and 24 crore rupees. It was an ancient Khmer-Hindu Shiva site, which was later converted for Buddhist use.

These efforts are part of India's diplomatic initiatives to reach Southeast Asia through the 'Act East' policy. This policy advocates strengthening economic, strategic and cultural relations with Southeast and East Asian countries.