India and Indonesia Launch Decade-Long Mission to Restore Prambanan's Ancient Temples
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During the final leg of his Indonesia visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the Prambanan Temple Compound in Yogyakarta to launch a major conservation project. The two leaders unveiled a plaque marking the start of restoration work at this ancient Hindu temple site, calling it a symbol of the deep historical ties between their two nations.
Prambanan is a sprawling temple complex built in the 9th century by the Mataram Kingdom in Central Java. It houses more than 500 structures, including a towering 47-metre temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Recognised by UNESCO in 1991 as a World Heritage Site, it is regarded as one of the finest examples of Hindu temple architecture anywhere in the world.
The new project will concentrate on the Pervara temples, a group of 224 smaller shrines arranged in circles within the compound's middle area. Remarkably, only six of these 224 structures have been restored so far, leaving 218 in a state of ruin. This makes the restoration effort both ambitious and long overdue.
India's Archaeological Survey will lead the decade-long project, running from 2026 to 2036, working alongside Indonesia's Heritage Agency. The initiative carries a budget of Rs 65 crore and will use modern techniques such as laser-based scanning to map the site, along with photographic documentation of scattered stone pieces, historical research, and studies of the site's structural stability, water flow, and soil conditions.
This collaboration did not emerge overnight. It follows discussions held during President Prabowo's state visit to India in 2025, when both countries agreed to explore Indian assistance for restoring the Prambanan temples. Officials note that India has already conducted extensive documentation work at another famous Indonesian site, the Borobudur Temple Compounds.
Modi described the project as reflecting India's commitment to safeguarding heritage that both nations regard as part of a shared civilisational story. He also expressed confidence that the restoration would draw more Indian tourists to visit the site in the coming years.
This is not India's first venture into heritage diplomacy in the region. Over the past dozen years, India has contributed to preserving parts of the Angkor complex in Cambodia and offered grant support for restoring an ancient Shiva temple in Sri Lanka, positioning itself as an active partner in conserving historic Hindu and Buddhist sites across Asia.
Why it matters
This project highlights how heritage conservation has become a tool of diplomacy for India, strengthening cultural and political ties with Indonesia while showcasing the Archaeological Survey of India's expertise on the global stage. For Indonesia, it means much-needed restoration of a fragile and historically significant site that has seen limited progress for decades. Beyond the symbolism, the project could boost tourism, deepen scientific collaboration through advanced documentation methods, and set a precedent for how nations with shared historical roots can jointly protect monuments that belong to a broader regional and civilisational memory.
Test yourself
1. What is the Prambanan Temple Compound?
2. Which Indian body is leading the conservation project at Prambanan?
3. How many Pervara temples are there in total within the Prambanan complex?
4. How many of the Pervara temples have already been restored?
5. What is the duration and budget of the restoration project?
6. Which technology will be used to document scattered stone structures at the site?
7. When was the Prambanan Temple Compound designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
8. Which earlier Indonesian heritage site did India's ASI previously document?
9. What earlier diplomatic event led to this conservation agreement?
10. Besides Indonesia, where else has India helped with heritage restoration in the past 12 years?
Your notes
Source: The Indian Express