Jakarta, July 8 (IANS). Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, ahead of his visit to Indonesia’s historic Prambanan temple, once again highlighted India’s sustained efforts to preserve and revive the shared civilizational and cultural heritage across Asia.
On July 7, India and Indonesia exchanged a Letter of Intent for an India-supported conservation and restoration project at the Prambanan Temple Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yogyakarta. The exchange took place after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday. The two countries discussed ways to further strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership and ensure a peaceful Indo-Pacific region.
Prambanan Temple, built in the 10th century, is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia and is primarily dedicated to Lord Shiva. This grand complex includes towering temples dedicated to the Hindu trinity Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, as well as shrines to their divine vehicles. The walls of the temple are intricately carved depicting scenes from the Ramayana, reflecting the deep cultural and spiritual ties between India and South-East Asia.
At the center of the complex stands the 47-metre (154 ft) high Shiva Temple, the tallest structure in Prambanan and one of the finest examples of ancient Hindu architecture. The vast temple complex originally contained 240 temples, making it one of the largest Hindu temple sites in the world. The stone carvings present here depict stories from Ramayana and other Hindu epics.
Over the past decade, the Modi government has actively supported the restoration and conservation of many important religious and heritage sites located in neighboring countries.
India had announced assistance for the reconstruction of the historic Ramna Kali temple in Bangladesh, which was destroyed during Pakistan’s Operation Searchlight in 1971. The temple was inaugurated in 2021, marking the revival of an important Hindu pilgrimage site and strengthening India-Bangladesh’s age-old cultural ties.
India also financed the restoration of the nearly 300-year-old Joy Kali Mata Temple at Natore through grant assistance in 2020. In addition, the government also provided assistance for the conservation of the Anandamayi Kali Mata Temple and the Ramakrishna Temple, thereby preserving important centers of Hindu faith in Bangladesh.
India got the opportunity to do conservation work in the UNESCO listed My Son Sanctuary through an MoU signed in 2014 in Vietnam. The site is one of the most important Shaiva temple complexes in South-East Asia and was the religious center of the ancient Champa kingdom.
In Myanmar, India signed an MoU in 2017 for the restoration of earthquake-damaged monuments in the UNESCO-listed Bagan archaeological zone. The Archaeological Survey of India renovated 12 historic pagodas and completed conservation work at the famous Ananda Temple.
Following the devastating 2015 earthquake in Nepal, India took up the restoration and conservation of 28 cultural heritage sites under its US$50 million reconstruction assistance plan. These also include Seto Machhindranath Temple and Budhanilkanth Temple Dharamshala.
From 2022, India is continuing conservation work at the Angkor heritage complex in Cambodia, which includes Ta Prohm, Angkor Wat and Preah Vihear. It reflects India’s commitment to preserving one of the world’s greatest centers of Hindu civilization.
India restored key structures of the UNESCO listed Wat Phu temple in Laos. It is an approximately 1,000 year old Shiva temple and one of the oldest surviving symbols of the Sanatana civilization in South-East Asia.
During Prime Minister Modi’s historic 2019 visit to Bahrain, he inaugurated the US$ 4.2 million redevelopment project of the 200-year-old Shrinathji (Shri Krishna) temple in Manama. This temple is one of the oldest Hindu temples in the Bay Area.
India reactivated the restoration project of the historic Thiruketheeswaram temple in Sri Lanka. Under an MoU signed in July 2015, India provided grant assistance of 326 million Sri Lankan rupees for the restoration of this ancient temple. This temple is one of the five ancient Pancha Ishwaram temples of Sri Lanka dedicated to Lord Shiva.
–IANS
SAK/PM
