Prambanan Temple: Why India is restoring Indonesia's largest Shiva temple?

The story so far: “The winds here carry the scent of culture, a scent that unites us and we feel every moment on the soil of India,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday (July 8, 2026) as he visited the 1,200-year-old Prambanan temple complex in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The visit was preceded by an announcement of a joint India-Indonesia conservation project to restore the sanctuary.

Located 17 km north-east of the city of Yogyakarta, the 10th-century shrine has three temples dedicated to the divine Hindu trinity – Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, as well as three temples of their ‘vahanas’ – the hamsa (swan) for Brahma, the garuda (eagle) for Shivabula and the nandi of Vishnu. With reliefs depicting scenes from the Ramayana. The complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, houses two groups of buildings – Hindu temples including Prambanan and Buddhist temples including Sewu with its four pairs of giant Dwarapala statues.

With a total of 508 stone temples of various shapes and sizes in complete condition or in ruins, the complex is home to the largest Hindu and Buddhist temple in Indonesia. Immediately after the independence of Indonesia in 1945, the restoration of the temples devastated by the earthquake began, which was not completed until 1953.

Cultural Significance of Prambanan Temple to India

Built King Rakai Seduction Said to rival the adjacent Borobudur Buddhist temple complex, built by King Shailendra in the 8th century, Prambanan Temple has survived several volcanic eruptions over the years from nearby Mount Merapi. Expanded by Rakai Pikatan’s successor, King Lokapala and Balitung MahaSambu of the Mataram Kingdom, Prambanan served as the royal temple and hosted most of the state’s religious ceremonies.

Apart from the main Shiva shrine, other temples dedicated to Goddess Durga like Mahishasura Mardhini, Dakshinamurti have also been restored over the years. Bas-relief depictions of episodes from the Hindu Puranas (Ramayana and Bhagawata), creatures such as kinnaras, kolamakara, asuras and scenes of social life adorn the galleries around the central chamber, and the symmetry and structure of the temples are reminiscent of Pallava dynasty architecture.

Inscriptions on Shiva temple show that a public water project was carried out to change the course of the river when the temple was built. They are similar to the engineering style of temple builders in Southeast Asia including the Chola and Gupta dynasties and Cambodia’s Angkor Wat complex. Additionally, a well dug in the middle of the complex is said to lead to the foundation of the temple, where the ashes of King Erlangga (who died in 1014 AD) are believed to have been enshrined in a stone case – a custom also found in the Matrubhuteswara temple in Tiruvanamala.

Victims of Mount Merapi’s volcanic fury, the rulers moved out of the complex and left the temples to decay. When the Dutch East India Company began to rule the country, several pieces from the temples were taken to officers’ gardens and houses. However, the temple and most of the original structures still remain, as efforts to restore it began as early as 1918.

The Archaeological Survey of India is honored to undertake the conservation of Prambanan Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, under the India-Indonesia Cooperation Initiative jointly launched by the Hon’ble Prime… pic.twitter.com/jkqa2ewVOd

— Archaeological Survey of India (@ASIGoI) July 8, 2026

India-Indonesia connection

On December 14, 1958, the Indian President Dr. Rajendra Prasad on his official visit to Indonesia down to the Prambanan temple – thus becoming the first Indian head of state to visit the complex. After the May 2006 earthquake, the temple complex suffered serious damage and Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh offered to help preserve the shrine. Officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) visited the site and worked with their Indonesian counterparts to assess the damage and provide technological assistance or manpower to restore it.

Prior to Prambanan, the ASI team was involved in the restoration of Angkor Wat from 1986 to 1993 in collaboration with the Cambodian government. Later, under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India signed an agreement with Cambodia in 2002 to restore the Ta Prohm Temple (part of Angkor Wat) – built by Khmer King Jayavarman VII and by 2012 ASI had completed the restoration.

In Laos, ASI began restoration work on the 11th-century Vat Phou temple, built by the Khmer royal family as a Shiva temple, in 2007. In the first phase, ASI spent 17 million crowns and discovered evidence that the structure, which had been converted into a Buddhist temple, was originally a Shiva temple. The second phase of renovation began in 2018 and has spent ₹24 crore since 2024.

Under the Modi government, ASI expanded its projects to restore Southeast Asian structures, including Angkor Wat. In 2014, India and Vietnam signed an agreement to restore the destroyed Shaiva temples in Mỹ Sơn, built by the Champa Kings. ASI’s work at the site began in 2017 and was completed in 2013. During the process, ASI discovered a 9th century monolithic Shiva linga at the site. In 2016, India offered its assistance in the reconstruction of pagodas and the Ananda temple in Bagan, Myanmar, damaged by the earthquake.

(With inputs from The Hindu Archives)

Published – 10 Jul 2026 11:38 IST