Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, reaffirmed India's commitment to partnering with Indonesia in preserving the Prambanan Temple, calling the 9th-century Hindu complex a 'timeless symbol of our cultural and spiritual links' between the two nations.

Context

Responding on X, PM Modi wrote that 'preserving such heritage is about safeguarding the traditions that continue to inspire generations,' and described India as 'privileged to partner with Indonesia in this important endeavour.' The remarks underline the civilizational dimension of the bilateral relationship, one that predates modern diplomacy by more than a millennium.

The Prambanan Temple complex, located in Central Java, Indonesia, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site dedicated to the Hindu Trimurti — Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Built in the 9th century, it stands as one of the most prominent expressions of ancient Indian cultural influence across maritime Southeast Asia, including through the retelling of the Ramayana in Javanese artistic tradition.

Policy Backdrop

India's engagement with Indonesia on heritage conservation sits within a broader strategic architecture. When New Delhi upgraded its Look East Policy to the Act East Policy in 2014, cultural and heritage cooperation with ASEAN partners was made an explicit pillar alongside trade and defence. The two countries formalised a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2018, which includes people-to-people and cultural tracks.

India also launched Project Mausam in 2014, an initiative to reconnect with Indian Ocean littoral nations — including Indonesia — through shared maritime and cultural history. Successive governments have supported the preservation of monuments such as Prambanan and Borobudur as instruments of soft power within the Indo-Pacific framework, running parallel to defence and trade dialogues.

Stakeholders and Impact

The partnership benefits heritage conservation bodies and archaeological institutions in both countries, as well as the tourism sectors of Central Java and broader Indonesia, which draw millions of visitors annually to the Prambanan complex. For India, the engagement reinforces its role as a cultural anchor for Hindu-Buddhist heritage across Southeast Asia.

People-to-people ties between the two nations carry particular resonance given that Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-majority nation yet maintains a living pre-Islamic Hindu-Buddhist heritage — visible in art, dance, language, and public culture. PM Modi acknowledged this shared foundation, stating that 'as nations with deep cultural connections, India and Indonesia will continue to work together to celebrate our shared past while building an even stronger future.'

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the next India-Indonesia Joint Commission Meeting on cultural cooperation, where concrete announcements on joint conservation funding, expert exchanges, or restoration project timelines may follow. The diplomatic signal from PM Modi's post suggests that the cultural track will remain an active complement to the strategic and economic agenda between the two countries.

As India deepens its Indo-Pacific outreach, shared heritage sites like Prambanan are likely to feature more prominently in bilateral summits and multilateral cultural forums, reinforcing the argument that civilizational ties are as durable a foundation for partnership as any treaty.