"KCBN Muarajambi has become the focus of preservation because this site has a distinctive brick structure shape and interesting historical value," secretary of the Directorate General of Culture of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Fitra Arda, informed in an official statement issued in Jakarta on Monday.
He said that the reactivation of KCBN Muarajambi is in response to Law Number 5 of 2017 on the Advancement of Culture. The law aims to achieve two goals: building cultural resilience and enhancing the contribution of Indonesian culture to global civilization.
The preservation of KCBN Muarajambi will not only focus on cultural heritage, but also the protection of nature and the environment by applying the concept of harmonization with the surrounding natural ecosystems.
"Some of the activities carried out in the revitalization of this area are making this area a center of education, strengthening the imaginary axis by arranging the temple area, strengthening the ecosystem through an intangible culture-based populist economy," Arda informed.
As part of the revitalization, Muarajambi is being governed as a museum and cultural heritage area, he said.
To support the revitalization effort, the ministry has centralized its agenda to Muarajambi.
Arda informed that to strengthen the value of the area, the Directorate General of Education and Culture held the Swarnabhumi Feast Festival and the Rubber Hamlet Market (Paduka).
He expressed the hope that through development, the region will not lose the essence of the countryside, and the community will become the main actor in the area's management.
The development of KCBN Muarajambi is also aimed at educating the public that culture does not just include cultural heritage and the art of dance, instead, it is a method of development that lays the basic foundation for the progress of a nation.
"At present, culture is no longer considered as a cost, but a long-term investment," he noted.
He explained that cultural investment in the form of staging to introduce culture opens up inclusive spaces that connect diversity and build a populist economy in the long term.
According to head of the Regional Cultural Preservation Center V, Agus Widiatmoko, KCBN Muarajambi should not only be seen as a tourist destination, but a center of civilization that reflects cultural heritage.
"We must see Muarajambi as a center of civilization that provides a space for deep learning and research," he said.
The 3,981-hectare area houses 88 brick structures, including the Kotomahligai Temple, Kedaton, Gedong I, Gedong II, Gumpung, Tinggi, Telago Rajo, Kembar Batu, and Astano, some of which have been rebuilt. As per KCBN archaeological findings, Muaro Jambi was Southeast Asia's oldest and largest Buddhist education center.
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Translator: Sean Muhamad, Yuni Arisandy
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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