Borobudur Ready To Become A World Religious Destination

The atmosphere of the trial of the spiritual pilgrimage or dhara kortora titled "Cultural Spiritual Inclusive" at Borobudur Temple, Magelang. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Borobudur Temple increasingly shows its potential as an international-scale religious tourism center, especially for Buddhists.

This effort was strengthened through the implementation of a spiritual pilgrimage trial or dhar Borobudur, entitled "Cultural Spiritual Inclusive", which was recently carried out at the Borobudur Temple complex, Magelang.

The Director General of Buddhist Community Guidance at the Ministry of Religion, Supriyadi, expressed his support for the activity. He considered that the activity which was held on Thursday, June 12, was an important step in establishing Borobudur as a spiritual icon of Buddhists, not only in Indonesia but also in the eyes of the world.

"We from the Directorate General of Bimas Buddha have consistently held various religious activities in Borobudur and surrounding temples such as the Candies of Mendut, Pawon, and Sewu. The celebrations of Vesak, Kathina, Magha Puja, to the activities of Pabajjja Samanera are routinely carried out here as part of the promotion of Buddhist religious tourism," Supriyadi explained as quoted by ANTARA.

In the trial activity, about 150 Buddhists from various religious organizations and Buddhist educational institutions participated. They participated in the entire series of integrated worship processions, which were led directly by Bhikkhu and

banthe, created a more solemn and deep atmosphere.

Bhikkhu Ditti Sampanno as the leader of the activity explained that the dharing of Botora was not just a tourist visit, but was a deep inner journey to strengthen confidence in Buddhist teachings and explore spiritual meaning through sacred sites.

This activity is also a trial to see the extent to which Buddhists can follow a collective spiritual pilgrimage within a certain duration. Our target is 150 participants per hour. Within one hour, we have been able to carry out prayers, meditation, respect, and Puja Mandala in the Borobudur Temple area," he said.

Seeing the large population of Buddhists estimated to reach 400 million people worldwide, Bhikkhu Ditti is optimistic that Borobudur has a great opportunity to become the main destination for global spiritual tourism. He also suggested that in the future Buddhists be given space or special time so that worship can take place without disturbing public tourism activities.

"We hope that a special place can be provided or given time in the afternoon until evening, for example from 4 pm to 9 pm, so that spiritual activities can take place comfortably and calmly," he added.

He also emphasized that the implementation of this trial was the result of cooperation between various parties, including religious foundations, Buddhist assemblies, educational institutions, to local travel agents.

"We are collaborating with Daya Nusa or the Dharatokara Nusantara Utama Foundation which is under the auspices of the Ministry of Religion. This activity is also supported by various Buddhist assemblies and educational institutions in Indonesia," explained Bhikkhu Ditti.