World Heritage Day Commemoration at Prambanan Temple Compounds

Dozens of people participated in the celebration of the International Day of Monuments and Sites at the Prambanan Temple Compounds World Cultural Heritage, Thursday (18/4/2024). This celebration is to raise awareness of cultural heritage heritage so that it continues to be preserved and becomes an inspiration for the next generation of the country.

This event was initiated by the Cultural Preservation Center for Region X and collaborated with PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan and Ratu Boko or InJourney Destination Management (IDM). It was attended by the Hindu Community Guidance Office of the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Klaten, Central Java, as well as tourism actors and the community around Prambanan Temple.

The World Heritage Day celebration at Prambanan Temple Compounds was conducted with a workshop on the Maintenance of Stone Cultural Heritage Buildings. Participants participated in the maintenance activities of andesite temple buildings using mechanical cleaning techniques using brushes and brooms.

The participants, who were divided into four teams to clean Prambanan Temple, Lumbung Temple, Bubrah Temple, and Sewu Temple, appeared enthusiastic in participating in the series of activities.

One of the participants, Suyamto, said that by participating in this workshop, he could understand the process of maintaining and preserving temples.

"Through this activity, we can understand and experience firsthand the process of temple maintenance," explained the Hindu Community Guidance of Klaten Regency.

After the field workshop, participants attended a discussion on the Development and Utilization of Sewu Temple, Lumbung and Bubrah at the Prambanan Museum, Klaten.

The seminar was filled by speakers from the Head of the Prambanan Temple Unit, Jusman Mahmud, GM of Prambanan & Keraton Ratu Boko I Gusti Putu Ngurah Sedana and Cultural Advisor, Middle Expert of the Cultural Preservation Center for Region X, Riris Purbasari.

"We raised this theme considering that the World Cultural Heritage of Prambanan Temple Compounds is not only Prambanan Temple. So far, tourist visits have only been centered on Prambanan Temple. The existence of other temples can also be raised to balance the popularity of Prambanan Temple," explained Jusman Mahmud.

Cultural Expert of the Center for Cultural Preservation Region X, Riris Purbasari, added that there needs to be an emphasis on information and activation so that visitors are also interested in looking deeper into the existence of Lumbung Temple, Bubrah Temple and Sewu Temple.

"Perhaps it can be done through the activation of arts and culture around the temples, such as jathilan, gejok lesung and others. This also serves to break up the crowd, so that visitors do not only accumulate on the east side of Prambanan Temple," he explained.

GM of Prambanan & Ratu Boko I Gusti Putu Ngurah Sedana said that in the area of ​​these temples, there are already existing events that have been running from year to year. Some of them are the King's Cup event and the Waisak celebration.

"Of course we will continue to encourage the development of arts and culture-based and spiritual activities in this area. We continue to carry out these efforts in accordance with the corridor of preserving the World Cultural Heritage site," he explained.

Every April 18 is commemorated as World Heritage Day or International Day of Monuments and Sites through the 22nd UNESCO General Conference in 1983. The commemoration of World Heritage Day in 2024 carries the theme "Disasters & Conflicts Through the Lens of the Venice Charter".

"The Venice Charter emerged as a response to the destruction caused by World War II. Many old cities were destroyed. Prambanan Temple was also affected by the Dutch Military Aggression in 1948. Through this theme, we all hope that efforts to conserve and restore historical buildings are efforts to extend the traces of human history," he concluded.