Muaro Jambi Temple Towards a UNESCO World Heritage Site

TheIndonesia.id - Jambi cultural expert Ja'far Rasyu stated that Muaro Jambi Temple has historical value that deserves to be a world heritage site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). He encouraged the Jambi government to register with UNESCO.

"Judging from its historical value, Muaro Jambi Temple is very worthy of being a UNESCO world heritage site," said Ja'far Rasyu in Jambi, Tuesday, April 5, 2022.

However, Ja'far Rasyu regretted that Muaro Jambi Temple had not yet become a UNESCO world heritage site. According to Rasyu, several technical requirements have not been met by the Government to register Muaro Jambi Temple as a UNESCO world heritage site. Ja'far Rasyu encouraged the government to be careful in preparing documents for submitting Muaro Jambi Temple as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Head of the Jambi Cultural Conservation Preservation Agency (BPCB) Agus Widiatmoko said Muaro Jambi Temple is one of the oldest universities in Asia. Muaro Jambi Temple was built in the 7th to 12th centuries AD. At that time, Muaro Jambi Temple was a place of worship and a place for Buddhists education. Many foreign students were studying at the Muaro Jambi Temple including those from China, India, and Tibet.

"The origin of Borobudur Temple from Muaro Jambi Temple, because the existing pattern on Borobudur Temple resembles the pattern in Muaro Jambi Temple," said Agus Widiatmoko.

Muaro Jambi Temple has an area of 3,891 hectares. The location covers eight villages in Muaro Jambi Regency, namely Muara Jambi Village, Dusun Baru Village, Mudo Hamlet Village, Lake Lamo Village, Tebat Patah Village, Teluk Jambu Village, Kemingking Dalam Village and Kemingking Luar Village.

Muaro Jambi Temple is called a temple complex because there are several temples in the area, including Gumpung Temple, Kedaton Temple, Koto Mahligai Temple, Astano Temple, Kembar Batu Temple, Gedong Satu Temple, Gedong Dua Temple, and Telago Rajo Temple.

There are also ancient canals, a mound of earth in which there are ancient brick structures, and a water reservoir. And there are several statues found in the temple complex, including the Prajaparamita statue, Gajahsimha statue, stone pedestal, Dwarapala, and stone mortar statues.