Why Prambanan matters: PM Modi inaugurates India-backed restoration of Indonesia's largest Hindu temple

Prime Minister PM Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday jointly inaugurated the Indiabacked restoration project at the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO World Heritagelisted Prambanan Temple in YogyakartaPM Modi offered prayers at the temple and interacted with officialsA large number of people carrying the national flags of India and Indonesia lined the roads to welcome the two leaders as they headed to the templeEarlier in the day PM Modi shared an aerial view of the iconic Prambanan Temple the largest Hindu temple complex in IndonesiaSharing the video on X PM Modi wrote The majestic Prambanan TempleThe majestic Prambanan Temple pictwittercompRS2S9X5gmmdash Narendra Modi narendramodi July 8 2026On Tuesday India and Indonesia exchanged a Letter of Intent for the conservation and restoration project at the Prambanan Temple complex following talks between PM Modi and President Prabowo as the two countries sought to deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discussed ways to ensure a peaceful IndoPacificWhy the Prambanan Temple restoration is significantBuilt in the 10th century the Prambanan Temple is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia and is dedicated primarily to Lord ShivaThe complex features towering temples dedicated to the Hindu trinity mdash Shiva Vishnu and Brahma mdash along with shrines to their divine vehicles Its walls are adorned with intricate reliefs depicting scenes from the Ramayana reflecting the deep cultural and spiritual links between India and Southeast AsiaAt the heart of the complex stands the 47metre 154foot Shiva temple the tallest structure at Prambanan and one of the finest examples of ancient Hindu architecture The sprawling complex originally comprised 240 temples making it one of the worlds largest Hindu temple sites Its stone reliefs narrate stories from the Ramayana and other Hindu epicsHighlighting the centuriesold civilisational ties between India and Indonesia PM Modi said on Tuesday that the relationship between the two countries is deeply rooted in the shared legacy of the Ramayana and the MahabharataIndia and Indonesia do not just share the sea we also share our history Our relationship is rooted in the legacy of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata We are linked through magnificent monuments such as Borobudur and Prambanan We are connected through Garuda Indonesias national emblem We are connected through the joy and celebrations of the Bali Jatra festival PM Modi saidPM Modi is currently on a threeday visit to Indonesia During the visit he held talks with President Prabowo addressed the Indonesian Parliament and attended a programme with the Indian communityIndia Indonesia deepen Comprehensive Strategic PartnershipDuring their meeting the two leaders exchanged views on global and multilateral issues while reiterating their commitment to a peaceful and prosperous IndoPacific the Ministry of External Affairs MEA saidFollowing the meeting MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X The leaders reviewed the full spectrum of the IndiaIndonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership encompassing trade amp investment defence amp security maritime cooperation energy healthcare amp pharma space critical minerals and rare earths culture tourism and peopletopeople exchangesBoth leaders also discussed issues of global and multilateral interest and reaffirmed their shared commitment to peace and prosperity in the IndoPacificAccording to the MEA the two sides exchanged several bilateral documents covering maritime safety and security space cooperation defence the steel supply chain rare earths health agriculture and science and technology among other sectorsThese agreements will strengthen bilateral cooperation across key sectors and contribute to further deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership he addedWith IANS inputs