Two artifacts from Dieng proposed for national cultural status

  The Banjarnegara Cultural Heritage Expert Team has proposed two artifacts from Central Java’s Dieng area for national cultural heritage status in 2026.

Team head Heni Purwono said here Thursday that the Mangulihi Inscription and Nandisawahanamurti Statue, housed at the Kailasa Museum in Dieng, had been submitted for national heritage status.

“Alhamdulillah, the Mangulihi Inscription and Nandisawahanamurti Statue in Dieng, at the Kailasa Museum, are being proposed this year as national cultural heritage,” she said.

The Mangulihi Inscription is significant because it documents a well-organized system for managing places of worship in the past, she said, adding that the inscription also demonstrates the literacy skills of people living in the area at the time.

“The Mangulihi Inscription is exceptional because it shows a highly organized system for managing places of worship and the strength of literacy among people at that time,” she said.

The Nandisawahanamurti Statue is distinctive because it depicts a human-bodied bull serving as the mount of the Hindu god Shiva, Heni said.

The rare form suggests that ancient Dieng had advanced cultural, architectural, and intellectual capabilities, she said.

“This is rare and shows that Dieng had achieved a high level of cultural, architectural and intellectual development, making it worthy of national heritage status,” she said.

Heni said the proposals could encourage more heritage sites in Banjarnegara to seek and eventually receive national cultural heritage status.

“Even the Dieng temple complex has not received it. The State Palace was designated only this year. We will target dozens of sites for national status,” she said.

Beyond the temples and statues in Dieng, the team plans to propose the Bandjar Tjahjana Werken Dam and irrigation network, as well as the Serajoedal Stoomtram Maatschappij railway network.

“We will work hard to achieve that,” Heni said.

At a media briefing on national cultural heritage designations in Jakarta on Wednesday (Sept. 2), Culture Minister Fadli Zon said many heritage sites still needed national designation.

He said designated heritage sites needed stronger information, security, and utilization measures, including barcodes and surveillance cameras, while being prioritized for revitalization.

The Culture Ministry had designated 1,485 sites as national cultural heritage through August 2026.

“Going forward, designated national cultural heritage sites must be rebranded and given better information,” Fadli said.