Chattra Borobudur Entered the UNESCO Discussion

JAKARTA - Borobudur is back on the UNESCO table. This time it's not just about its status as a World Heritage Site, but also the plan to install Chattra on the main stupa and how Indonesia explains the change to the world.

Minister of Culture (Menbud) Fadli Zon met with UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany in Paris, Thursday (22/4). During the meeting, Fadli also conveyed Indonesia's nomination as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO for the period 2026-2030.

Indonesia carries the Living Heritage, Shared Future platform. Fadli said Indonesia wants to strengthen community-based protection of cultural heritage, encourage more equitable global cooperation, and open wider access for developing countries to international support.

The issue of Borobudur has received special attention. Fadli emphasized that Indonesia still adheres to the protection of Outstanding Universal Value or Borobudur's extraordinary universal value as a World Heritage. Borobudur, said the Minister, must also be understood as a living site that has religious and spiritual meaning for the community.

Regarding the plan to install Chattra on the main stupa, Fadli said the proposal from the Buddhist community was not a reconstruction and not a change to the original structure of the temple.

He said the process was carried out with the principles of caution, conservation ethics, scientific references, and World Heritage procedures. The Heritage Impact Assessment study or Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment was prepared by BRIN and the Ministry of Religion.

"Borobudur must be seen as a whole, as a World Heritage that we must protect, as well as a living heritage that has symbolic and spiritual meaning for the community," Fadli said in a written statement received in Jakarta, Friday, April 24.

UNESCO emphasizes the importance of the technical process before the proposal is discussed further. Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center Lazare Eloundou Assomo said that the Heritage Impact Assessment needs to be prepared and submitted so that it can be reviewed by UNESCO and the relevant advisory bodies.

"Borobudur is a living site and must remain a living site. What is important for us is to ensure that the technical process is carried out properly," said Lazare.

During the meeting, Fadli also conveyed the idea of the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Center for Community-Based Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Indonesia as a Category 2 UNESCO Center.

Khaled El-Enany welcomed the idea positively. He also appreciated the establishment of a Ministry of Culture that stands alone in Indonesia.

Both parties also discussed strengthening the role of UNESCO in the Asia-Pacific. Fadli proposed greater involvement of Indonesian experts and professionals in UNESCO programs in Indonesia and the region.

The plan to install Chattra is now in the technical study phase at UNESCO. The results of the Heritage Impact Assessment will determine whether the proposal can continue or not.