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By:

Pulind Samant

29 November 2025 at 1:07:15 pm

Reviving Prambanan, Renewing Ties

The restoration of Indonesia’s Prambanan temple signals a new phase in India’s Act East policy, with heritage conservation as an instrument of diplomacy. Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced the collaborative project of conservation and restoration of Indonesia’s 9th century Prambanan temple complex during the former’s three-day state visit to Indonesia. The said project is about putting back into shape around two hundred ancillary...

Reviving Prambanan, Renewing Ties

The restoration of Indonesia’s Prambanan temple signals a new phase in India’s Act East policy, with heritage conservation as an instrument of diplomacy. Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced the collaborative project of conservation and restoration of Indonesia’s 9th century Prambanan temple complex during the former’s three-day state visit to Indonesia. The said project is about putting back into shape around two hundred ancillary temples around the main complex. This event made many Indians aware of the thousand years’ existence of Prambanan, world’s second largest Hindu temple in Indonesia. That also made many Indian tourists aware about the existence of lesser known but equally rich Hindu heritage in Indonesia, other than that in Bali which they were familiar with. Since Modi chose to announce the project personally, standing alongside President Prabowo at Prambanan rather than leaving it to a routine diplomatic statement, the gesture merits closer scrutiny. It invites an examination of India's record of heritage conservation in Southeast Asia and the strategic context behind this latest initiative. But first, it is worth considering the name Prambanan itself. Sanskrit Roots It is a settled fact that many place names of major cities, towns and heritage sites in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, are rooted in Sanskrit. Originally a thriving religious place and now a heritage site, Prambanan, is not an exception to that rule. However, it is also well known that many Sanskrit proper nouns and other vocabulary have undergone change in spellings and pronunciation under local conditions in this region, over centuries of unmonitored usage. An apt example is that of the present-day Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, which originally, since mid-16th century, was Jayakarta, which itself was a locally changed form of Sanskrit words ‘jaya-krita’ meaning ‘act of victory’. On similar lines, going by the patterns of such changed usage, as observed and documented by world scholars who simultaneously possessed mastery over Sanskrit and in-depth knowledge of the archipelagic languages, Prambanan could originally have been Brahmanand (or Brahmananda, accurately speaking). Looking at the sprawling layout and the grand temple structures built within, Prambanan complex appears to have indeed been designed to generate the feeling of ‘Brahmananda’, the ‘divine joy’ among the visitors, especially devotees. This India-assisted restoration is special because it is happening in Indonesia for the first time. India has been contributing to the efforts of conservation of Indic heritage structures, partially or fully, elsewhere within Southeast Asia region, in combination with those of the respective governments, for long. The best and the biggest example of that kind is of Angkor Wat, the 12th century Vishnu temple of Cambodia and the world’s largest Hindu temple. However, a major thrust in the Government of India’s efforts towards these tasks or ‘civilizational duties’ was brought in post announcement of the Act East Policy (AEP) in 2014. From thereon, not only substantial efforts were noticed through announcement of new phases or extensions in the case of older or continuing projects like Wat Phou, the 5th century Shiva temple of Laos (in 2018-19) and Ta Prohm, the 12th century Brahma temple of Cambodia (in 2019-20), but even newer projects like those at My Son, the Hindu temple complex of Vietnam (in 2018-19) that was constructed between the 4th and the 13th centuries, and Prasat Preah Vihear, the 11th century Shiva temple of Cambodia (in 2020-21) were commenced. While all this action was taking place elsewhere within Southeast Asia, nothing of that sort was so far, that is, twelve years past AEP’s announcement, noticed in case of Indonesia. Treading Softly Was India reluctant because Indonesia is a Muslim-majority nation, unlike the Buddhist-majority countries where it had previously undertaken similar projects? That question informed the recommendations in my Ph.D. dissertation, India’s Soft Power in Indonesia from Its Act East Policy Perspective, submitted last October. I argued that India should contribute to the restoration of the Jago temple in Central Java’s Malang Regency, a project already underway under the Indonesian government. All those doubts and apprehensions have now been put to rest by India taking up the job for the most prestigious project of Prambanan, a UNESCO-recognized world heritage site, within a year’s time. And, since this project was in the pipeline, India’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Sandeep Chakravorty, had prepared the ground by celebrating the Maha-Shivaratri of 2026 five months back inside the Prambanan complex, along with some members of Indian diaspora and those of native Indonesian Hindu community, the first time in history. This project is special for one more reason, which is about the clear Hindu character of the heritage site. While all the above-cited examples of projects in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam too pertain to Hindu temples, many of them are often spoken about, especially in the Western media and literature, as Buddhist. The base reason is the fact of all the said countries having turned decisively and officially Buddhist after the 13th century, thanks to a renewed wave of Buddhism sweeping across the region that time. As a consequence, after the passage of a few centuries, the local populations, not well conversant with the details of their past, started generally identifying those temples as Buddhist temples, which started reflecting in the plethora of tourism-promotion literature outside the region. In Prambanan’s case, the host country Indonesia being Muslim-majority, while being particularly aware of and proud about its past, there was no scope for any such mix-up or confusion. (The writer is a Ph.D. researcher in international relations. Views personal.)

Indian Shipbuilding A Must Win Marathon

Shipbuilding

With a coastline of 7500 KM, it is hard to imagine, that for the first 20 years (1947-1967) India had no ‘shipping ministry’. In 1967 a Shipping ministry “coupled” with ROAD transport was established. Since then, this ministry has been on a name changing ride, not once, not twice but six times. In 2009 the “ROAD Transport and Highways” was de-coupled and ‘Shipping’ ministry was formed. Turning point came in 2015 with a clear maritime vision for 2030 and 2047. Ministry was re-christened, aptly to Ministry of “Ports, Shipping and Waterways” in 2020.


Why is Shipbuilding important for a country?

a. A Shipyard becomes an opportunity hub and like a queen bee requires the support of an industrial colony to manufacture machinery and equipment.

b. National Shipyards support fleet renewal needs of the Navy.

c. Contributes to national GDP, increases inflow of FOREX.


Korea shipbuilding is 8% of GDP. Japan’s automobile industry is 2.9% of GDP. India’s shipbuilding a meagre 0.000578% of GDP. In context, India’s pharmaceutical industry, ranked third largest in the world is 1.72% of India’s GDP.


International Shipbuilding Market

The market is estimated to reach around USD 200 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.84%. While India is at bottom with 0.07% of world share, behind Philippines 1.5% and Vietnam 1%, however on the positive side, India has done well in taking care of its defence needs, with 37 of 39 Naval ships being built in India yards. Rear Admiral S Shrikhande researching on maritime as a Fellow at Wollongong University, Australia, says “Shipbuilding in India needs both, serious incentivisation and dogged determination and not harping on being a big ship breaking country. That Garden Reach shipyard has a $54 million order for merchant ships from a German owner, is a good sign.”


Were Shipyards of 20th century in Flight mode?

Prominent shipyards in India were built in the colonial period. Mazagon Dock 1774, Garden reach 1884, Hindustan shipyard 1941 to cater to British navy and merchant fleet needs. Cochin shipyard 1972, Adani Katupalli 2013, Reliance Naval and Engineering, Rajula Gujarat 1997 and others have limited capacity, hence a lot more work to do. Capt. Subhangshu Dutt (Singapore) a mariner and now a shipowner, says “GOI should hold hands in any collaboration till the marriage with the foreign entity is reasonably stable. He also suggests that “new shipbuilding sites should be given to existing successful shipyards since they have decades of experience and talent. Consortium of 3 or more parties may also be good idea”.


Shipbuilding GOLD

As per SPLASH report the demand for LCO2 carriers could reach 2,500 ships by 2050. As per other estimates, 40% of global fleet of ships could have wind propulsion by 2050. A surge in such vessels is due to an unparallel waves of decarbonization in the shipping industry. Demand for ships with ‘carbon neutral’ badges, such as Dual fuel, Wind assisted, Nuclear fuel ships, Hydrogen powered ships, Liquified CO2 (LCO2) carrier, is outstripping supply. A must in the ‘bucket list’ of every Shipyard. Pinning down a standard ROI in shipbuilding is not easy, but experts suggest it could range from 4% to 15% for the high demand ‘carbon neutral’ ships. While an LNG new build vessel could cost US$ 250 million upwards.


International collaboration

On China’s shipbuilding success story, Manoj Pandalanghat (Singapore) a mariner and ship owner believes that “China has around 50 active Shipyards. Each have a few large dry docks. In each dock two or more large vessels are built simultaneously. Thus, a single yard is able to roll out 2/3 vessels/month, 36 vessels/year and 50 shipyards roll out 1800 vessels/year”.


China could be a jaldi-5, but India needs a sturdy Mount Fiji. Besides technology, Japanese bring the most important hand baggage of soft-skills and culture, essential for success from keel laying to delivery. Maruti’s is a standing example.


Food for thought for New Delhi

a. Expertise: Hire Naval Architects and shipbuilding experts with current international experience.

b. Government assistance: Land, Financial support, subsidies and timebound clearances.

c. Monitoring: PMO should monitor the first 5 to 10 years till Shipbuilding takes-off on this long-haul flight to destination 2047.


India’s Shipbuilding is expected to grow to $237 billion by year 2047. On a back of the envelope calculations this works out to about 4% of India’s 2047 projected GDP of $ 5 trillion. While cars are driven on roads, however the Ministry of roads and transport has little to do with “Automobile manufacturing”. On a similar note, ‘Shipbuilding’ as an industry has little to do with Ports, Shipping and Waterways, thus it may be worthwhile to consider a separate ‘Ship-building’ wing in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways headed by a dynamic cabinet rank minister. Since 2047 targets are stiff and an uphill task, so in all probabilities, the officials in Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways are likely to push beneath the carpet, delays and failures of Shipbuilding with sweet success stories of “Ports, Shipping and Waterways” and if this does happen then India will not only miss the Shipbuilding bus of 21st century but a lot more from a national security and strategic perspective.


(The author is a Shipping and Marine consultant. Member Singapore Shipping Association and empaneled with IMO as a specialist consultant. Views personal.)

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