THE GOVERNMENT’S ROLE TO MAINTAIN BOROBUDUR TEMPLE AS A

WORLD HERITAGE SITE TOWARD ERUPTION OF MERAPI MOUNTAIN

Suniyyah Pupita Sari, Ulya Fatimatuzzahra

International Relations Department, University of Darussalam Gontor
suniyyah.puspita.sari@mhs.unida.gontor.ac.id
ulya.fatimatuzzahra@mhs.unida.gontor.ac.id

INTRODUCTION

Borobudur temple is an ancestral temple, as mentioned in the inscription Sri

Kahulunan 842 AD which refers to Borobudur as "Kamulan I Bhumi Sambara". Kamulan
can be interpreted as a temple or shrine of ancestors (J. G. de Casparis, 1950). Bernet
Kempers (1970: 152), in one of his writings, said that "Borobudur is a complicated
building with a very special character of its own. There is no possibility of adopting any
of the systems known from literature and of using this as a simple blueprint for its
interpretation. Borobudur's builders impressious with the originality of their ideas which
make this great monument as a religious document in its own right". From this statement,
Kempers assumes that Borobudur Temple was born from the creativity of its maker
because there is not a single monument in the world that bears a resemblance to this
temple.

The position of the temple and the state of the cultural landscape of Borobudur
Temple which is on a plain surrounded by clusters of mountains and hills are realized to
be the potential for ecological wealth, but also the potential for disasters that need to be
watched out for. Borobudur temple on a macro scale is in the middle of the Kedu valley
surrounded by several mountains and one hill, namely Mount Merbabu, Mount Merapi,
Mount Andong, Mount Tidar, Mount Telomoyo, Mount Sindoro, Mount Sumbing, and
Menoreh hills that extend to the south of the temple. Mount Merapi to the east of
Borobudur Temple is the most active volcano located in the cultural Saujana area of
Borobudur Temple. Mount Merapi and other mountains are actually part of a series of
mountains that line the islands of Sumatra, Java, to Bali and Lombok. Especially on the
island of Java, the location of these mountains is in the middle of the island that lined
from west to east. Mount Merapi itself is one of the most active mountains among the
mountain ranges on the island of Java. Mount Merapi is located in the middle of the
island, partly within the administrative region of Yogyakarta province 01 and some in
Central Java province.

The volcanic activity of the mountain can still be witnessed. Volcanic material of
Mount Merapi as well as two opposing sides, namely beneficial and detrimental.
Thousands to millions of cubic meters of sand, ash, and rocks released by Mount Merapi
provide many benefits to the surrounding residents. But the process of removing volcanic
material can be a potential disaster that is sometimes not realized and ignored. Including
the potential for disasters that can at any time befall Borobudur Temple. It is still difficult
to ascertain the potential disaster that will befall Borobudur Temple because of the
volcanic activity of Mount Merapi. This research aims to identify the role of the
government in maintaining and anticipating the worst possibility that occurs at
Borobudur temple as one of the world's cultural heritage sites due to eruptions and
activities of Mount Merapi. The existence of research is a form of a picture of the
government's efforts and a form of concern in maintaining Borobudur Temple as a world
heritage site. Then, we explain it and conclude.

REVIEW RELATED LITERATURE

This study draws references from various previous studies. The first reference is "History
of Eruption of Mount Merapu and Its Impact in Borobudur Area" belonging to Drs.
Subandriyo, M.Si. This article discusses the vulnerability of borobudur temple area from
the threat of danger of Mount Merapi both primary threat in the form of hot clouds and
secondary threats in the form of lava flow. This is important as a reference in preparing
plans and strategies for the conservation of Borobudur Area as one of the world heritage.
This article uses exploratory methond. This article has variable similarities with what was
written by Drs. Subandriyo, M.Si namely the impact of the 2010 merapi eruption on
Borobudur Temple. However, there is a difference between this article and research. The
previous article discussed a lot about the impact on the eruption on Borobudur temple.
This article will focus on the efforts of regional governments through all their institutions
in maintaining culture and cultural heritage in the midst of globalization.
 The next reference is an article entitled "The Role of PAM UNIT OBVIT
Magelang Police in The Experience of National Vital Objects borobudur temple"
compiled by Andre Christiano Pach. What efforts pam obvit unit in preventing crime.
This research is conducted with a qualitative approach, using descriptive research
methods of analysis, as well as data collection techniques with interviews, observations,
and review of existing documents. However, the previous article only discussed and
evaluated In terms of local government.

In the Anwar Kurniadi and Hendro Pratikno's article "collaborative management

of borobudur temple in disaster management of Mount Merapi" (2021). In their research
on collaboration between stakeholders in the management and preservation of Borobudur
Temple from the Eruption of Mount Merapi. This research uses descriptive qualitative
research methods to find out the results of collaboration between stakeholders in
managing the Borobudur Temple site.