[Article] Religious Affairs Ministry to Help Manage Historic Temples

March 16, 2010 | Candra Malik & Ulma Haryanto | Jakarta Globe

In response to calls from Hindu and Buddhist leaders, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said his ministry would play a role in the management of historic temples in the country. 

“In the past, the government has only looked at temples and historic sites from the point of view of tourism and culture. In fact, temples and historic sites have an important religious function,” Suryadharma said during a ceremony on Monday at Prambanan Temple in Klaten, Central Java, to welcome Nyepi, or the Day of Silence. 

He said his ministry would work with other agencies to increase public appreciation for the country’s historic temples, while also facilitating their use as active places of worship. 

Hindu and Buddhist leaders have asked the Ministry of Religious Affairs to jointly manage temples with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. 

Among their demands is that Hindus and Buddhists going to temples to worship not be charged tourist entrance fees. 

Although no details have been released, the new arrangement could see more rulings similar to Borobudur Temple’s recently announced ban on tourists wearing skimpy clothes to respect the “sacredness of the place.” 

Central Java’s governor, Bibit Waluyo, said he hoped Prambanan Temple would become a center of worship for Hindus in Indonesia and from around the world. 

“The rebuilding of Prambanan Temple after the 2006 earthquake should not be oriented only toward the physical development of the temple, but should also consider religious aspects, cultural preservation and the economic growth of the surrounding community, because this temple is also an object of religious tourism,” Bibit said. 

Suroso, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture’s director of archeological heritage, said the co-management of historic temples should not be a problem as far as the issues of religious observances and conservation were concerned. 

He added that the arrangement “is still in line with the ministry’s basic tasks and functions.” 

Suroso said the Ministry of Religious Affairs would only regulate ceremonial matters at the temples. 

“But the conservation, preservation and maintenance will still be the responsibility of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture,” he said.

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