TEMPO.CO, Surakarta - The Central Java Cultural Heritage Preserve Agency (BPCB) is currently holding an exhibition of Indonesian temple replicas at Solo Square, in Solo, from June 20 to 25.

One of the spaces in Solo Square has been transformed into an area filled with temples displaying numerous replicas of this ancient artifact. All temple replicas are made from foam craftily manufactured to resemble the original sites. Some selected temples include the Sukuh Temple, Plaosan Temple, and Sewu Temple, each displaying their own distinctive qualities.

An example of a temple with a unique quality is Sukuh Temple, which was known for its many beautiful ancient reliefs. Many consider this temple to be pornographic due to some of its carvings portraying male and female genitals. The exhibition reveals the meaning behind these misconstrued reliefs, which symbolize fertility as the distinctive quality of the agrarian society during those times.

This exhibition is held to commemorate the one hundred year anniversary of the Cultural Heritage Preserve Agency. The exhibition was deliberately held at a modern shopping center in order to educate the modern community about the importance of preserving cultural heritage.

AHMAD RAFIQ