India and Indonesia launch joint restoration project at iconic Prambanan Temple

9 JULY 2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, visited the centuries-old iconic Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta, marking the inauguration of a joint conservation project for this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Mr. Modi described the initiative as a “shining example of the enduring civilisational bonds” between India and Indonesia, rooted in a shared heritage that has connected the people of the two countries for centuries.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will be the lead agency from the Indian side for the joint restoration project.

Prambanan Temple Complex

Prambanan is a 9th-century Hindu temple compound in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, in southern Java, Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimūrti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva).
The temple compound is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia and the second-largest in Southeast Asia after Angkor Wat.
The construction of Prambanan probably was meant as the Hindu Sanjaya dynasty’s answer to the Buddhist Sailendra dynasty’s Borobudur marking their return to power in Central Java after almost a century.
Prambanan temple compounds originally consisted of 240 temple structures.
The devastating 1006 A.D. eruption of Mount Merapi volcano in Central Java, began the decline of the temple, as it was soon abandoned and began to deteriorate.
The temples collapsed during a major earthquake in the 16th century.
It was designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.