YOGYAKARTA - Minister of Culture (Menbud) Fadli Zon highlighted the need to accelerate the restoration of the Sewu Temple while reviewing the temple complex and Keraton Ratu Boko during a working visit to Central Java and Yogyakarta Special Region, Friday, April 17. According to the Minister of Culture, restoration can no longer be carried out casually because the historical, cultural, and tourism potential of the two sites is too great to be allowed to move slowly.
At the Sewu Temple, Fadli emphasized that restoration must be accelerated with the support of many parties. He said that the central government, local government, and private sector needed to be involved to help fund the continued restoration.
"Strategies are needed to proactively seek support from various parties, namely the central government, regions, and the private sector, to fund further restoration," said Fadli Zon.
The Candi Sewu complex itself is recorded in the Manjusrigrha Inscription in 792 AD. This site consists of one main temple, eight apit temples, and 240 perwara temples. For Fadli, the acceleration of restoration is important not only to preserve cultural heritage, but also as a strategic step to raise cultural, historical, and religious tourism.
He assessed that this effort could have an economic impact while making the Candi Sewu complex appear more intact in the next few years.
After Candi Sewu, Fadli continued his visit to Keraton Ratu Boko in Sleman, Yogyakarta. The national cultural heritage site with an area of approximately 16 hectares is one of the assets of the Ministry of Culture and is considered to have an important position as a cultural heritage node as well as a tourist destination.
According to Fadli, the attraction of Ratu Boko lies not only in its landscape, but also in the gates, lightning, pendopo-pringgitan, and the authentic blend of Hindu-Buddhist structures. Based on the inscriptions found, the site was built in the 8th century AD.
"We hope that more people will visit Keraton Ratu Boko. Because here we can enjoy a kind of 'time travel' journey to the past with the extraordinary relics of our ancestors," said Fadli.
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