Menbud Fadli Zon Will Budget The Mount Padang Megalithic Site Cianjur This Year

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ministry of Culture (Menbud) has ensured that the process of restoring the Mount Padang megalithic site in Cianjur Regency, West Java, will begin in 2025 in stages.

Minister of Culture (Menbud) Fadli Zon said that in addition to restoration, scientific studies of prehistoric sites will also be continued, as part of efforts to preserve and develop national cultural heritage.

"Yes, this year we plan to continue the Mount Padang website. The study, then restoration. We hope that we can start Pugar Mount Padang website this year, yes gradually," said Fadli in Bandung, West Java Tuesday, quoted by Antara.

According to him, the study of the Mount Padang site did not start from the beginning, because there had been a preliminary study previously conducted.

"So it doesn't start from scratch. Because I think this is clearly a cultural site, and cultural sites like this are also quite a lot found in West Java, but maybe Mount Padang is among the most important," he said.

He added that the restoration and development process of the Mount Padang site will be carried out carefully and in stages, in order to maintain its authenticity and historical value.

The study and research of the website, which was reported to have been found since 1914, said Fadli, will continue.

He also said research would collaborate with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

"Research can be continued in collaboration with BRIN. Because research is the domain of BRIN. The restoration of the site is the domain of the Ministry of Culture. We will try restoration, but what is based on the principles of existing studies, which we do for restoration," he said.

Regarding the restoration fund, he said this could be obtained from collaborative funding between the government and the private sector.

"Funding can be done with a public private partnership scheme," he said.

It is known, so far the Gunung Padang website, which is located in Gunung Padang Village, Karyamukti Village, Cianjur Regency, has brought up many theories and speculations.

There have been many predicates embedded in the site, from the oldest historical site in the world, the oldest source of civilization in the world, to the oldest pyramid to defeat Egypt's Giza Pyramids.