Jakarta – Vice President Ma’ruf Amin said the preservation efforts in Prambanan Temple complex, Sleman, Yogyakarta, has successfully maintained the temple’s good condition.

“I appreciate that  the heritage has been preserved well and the surrounding environ has also been maintained to provide shade,” Amin stated during his visit to observe ongoing restoration works in the temple on Sunday, per the video published by the Vice Presidential Secretariat Instagram account.

He said that while experts had been successful in reconstructing the ruins into the temple’s original form, works must be continued to restore and recover more structures surrounding the main temple.

“There are 200 (structural ruins) in Prambanan alone, and there are more in Sewu Temple and other sites,” he noted. The vice president said that the existing historical sites proved that Indonesia’s ancient civilisations had created colossal structures that could be one of the wonders of the ancient world.

“Besides Borobudur, we also have Prambanan, which proves that Indonesia already had an advanced civilisation since the past. Hence, this could motivate us to be a better nation,” Amin said.

The historical sites also prove interfaith harmony and tolerance in Indonesia since the two sites, the legacy of the pre-Islamic era in Java Island, remain in good condition while residents living around the site are mostly Muslims. The vice president underscored that Prambanan Temple would help tourism recovery in Yogyakarta after the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly as the site is reachable from Yogyakarta City, and the province’s local culture could attract domestic and foreign tourists.

“With Prambanan Temple that becomes better preserved, I believe Yogyakarta will see more tourists, particularly after the government has decided to make tourism (industry) a national priority,” Amin remarked.

Source: Antara News