National Museum displays Borobudur temple archives

National Museum displays Borobudur temple archives

Hundreds of archives on the iconic Borobudur temple are on display at the National Museum in Central Jakarta until Oct. 15.

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The exhibition titled "Preserving the Historical Documents of Borobudur temple's Restoration as Memory of the World" aims to support the site to be listed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Memory of the World (MoW), a program that preserves world’s documentary heritage.

According to kompas.com, visitors can expect to marvel at photos, pictures, historical objects and authentic films regarding to the temple’s restoration.

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“These are the collections of the archives that have been proposed to the MoW,” said Marsis Sutopo, the head of Borobudur Conservation Agency. “We want to display them for the public prior to receiving the post-restoration MoW.”

The exhibition, which takes place in the main area in front of the museum’s entrance, is held in several rooms. The first room features documents on the temple's history, particularly during its discovery days by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the British lieutenant-governor in Java at the time.

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Meanwhile, the second room displays proofs of Borobudur's second restoration from 1973 to 1983. There are also photos of the first restoration that was led by the Dutch Theodore Van Erp during the pre-Independence of Indonesia, also known as Hindia Belanda.

In one corner, visitors can also watch documentary about the temple’s restoration after the eruption of Mount Merapi in 2010. There are also first sketches of Borobudur taken from Boro-Boedoer op Het Eiland Java book. (wir/kes)

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