India backs Prambanan temple restoration during Modi's Indonesia visit

Newdelhi,UPDATED: Jul 7, 2026 20:14 IST

India and Indonesia have exchanged a Letter of Intent for an India-backed conservation and restoration project at the Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The exchange took place on Tuesday after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, as the two sides sought to deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discuss ways to ensure a peaceful Indo-Pacific.

Modi, who is in Indonesia from July 6 to 8 on the first leg of his three-nation tour, is scheduled to visit the Prambanan Temple Compounds on July 8. During a joint press meet, he said, "Tomorrow, I will have the privilege of joining President Prabowo in Yogyakarta to launch the conservation project for the Prambanan Temple. More than a thousand years old, the Prambanan Temple stands as a timeless symbol of the shared cultural heritage of India and Indonesia."

Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of agreements in a wide range of areas, including defence, critical minerals and rare earths, science and technology, education, electoral practices, telecommunications, agriculture, maritime security, space, steel supply chain, disaster management, medical products regulation and health workforce collaboration, the Ministry of External Affairs said. It added, "A Letter of Intent on India's support for the conservation and restoration of UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Prambanan Temple Complex, Yogyakarta was also exchanged."

A joint statement later said, "Both leaders welcomed the inauguration of the India-supported project towards restoration and conservation of the UNESCO World Heritage Prambanan Temple Compounds in Yogyakarta by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)." Ahead of Modi's visit, MEA Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon had also told reporters on July 3 that "India and Indonesia will be collaborating on the conservation work there".

Built in the 10th century, Prambanan is the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia. According to the UNESCO website, the complex has three main temples decorated with reliefs illustrating the Ramayana and dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, along with three temples dedicated to the animals associated with them.

The joint statement also highlighted wider cultural links. Indonesia appreciated the "gifting of a replica of the original Nalanda Copper Plate, dating to approximately 860 CE engraved in Devanagari script and in Sanskrit language", by the Museum of India, which is now exhibited in the new museum at Muara Jambi. The two sides recalled the principles of the "Kashi Cultural Pathway" adopted at the G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting in Varanasi in August 2023, and noted the need for continued consultations on cultural heritage matters "in accordance with their respective laws and procedures, and in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect".

Both countries also recognised the "enduring intellectual legacy and shared educational vision of Rabindranath Tagore and Ki Hajar Dewantara" and agreed to commemorate 2026-2027 as the "Tagore-Dewantara Year of India-Indonesia Cultural and Educational Diplomacy". The statement said this would mark the centenary of Tagore's visit to Indonesia in 1927 through a year-long programme of joint cultural, educational, academic and people-to-people initiatives in both countries.

On connectivity and tourism, the two leaders underlined the potential of tourism to strengthen people-to-people ties and agreed to further discuss ways to "streamline ease of travel and visa facilitation". They stressed the importance of stronger maritime and air connectivity, encouraged greater air links and port-to-port connections, and said they looked forward to the 3rd Joint Task Force Meeting on Andaman-Aceh Connectivity in the second half of 2026. President Prabowo also welcomed India's interest in partnering in the integrated development of Sabang Port, and both sides asked their authorities to work out the scope, modalities and financing of the project in a time-bound and mutually beneficial manner.

The visit, the joint statement said, builds on President Prabowo's 2025 State Visit to India, when he was also the Chief Guest at India's 76th Republic Day celebrations, and marks an "important milestone reflecting the shared commitment of the two leaders to achieve a substantial upwards trajectory in the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership". Alongside that broader agenda, the launch of the Prambanan conservation project has emerged as a key outcome of Modi's Indonesia visit.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends