VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. (ANTARA/HO-Ministry of Religious Affairs) - 

Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas  has asked Indonesian Hindus and Buddhists to prepare national and global worship agendas following the inking of an MoU on the use of Borobudur and Prambanan temples as global worship sites.

"Please prepare various agendas for Hindus and Buddhists religious worship activities for Indonesians and the world," he  remarked in a statement received here on Friday.

The Indonesian government has officially declared Prambanan Temple in Yogyakarta, as well as Borobudur Temple, Pawon Temple, and Mendut Temple in Central Java as international places of worship for Hindus and Buddhists, he noted.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed to that effect by several ministries across sectors would strengthen the harmony and cooperation of all parties to develop and utilize the temples in the perspective of cultural and spiritual values, Qoumas said.

"Through this MoU, all parties can navigate their roles and abilities (in managing the four temples)," he added.

According to the minister, the use of Prambanan and Borobudur temples for religious events is a concrete measure for realizing the strategic super-priority tourism destination plan launched by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

The use of these temples as international worship places should be seen as a way to preserve temples or candi as a cultural heritage as well as noble relics from Indonesia's ancestors, he explained.

The temples of Prambanan and Borobudur are really unique in terms of their spiritual and cultural value and natural beauty, he said.

He further said he was grateful that the temples can now be actively used for Hindus and Buddhists around the world, as this implementation had been anticipated before.

The launch of the four temples as global worship sites would showcase Indonesia's extraordinary cultural diversity and plurality of beliefs, he added.

"This utilization is a form of religious moderation and government's will in guaranteeing all religious people in carrying out their worships," he remarked//ANT