Prabowo's Assistance Instrumental in Building the World's Most Unique Murugan Temple

JAKARTA, investortrust.id - The Managing Trustee of Jakarta Murugan Temple A S Kobalen said that the services of President Prabowo Subianto and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Gerindra Party, Hashim S Djojohadikusumo, were instrumental in the construction of the most unique temple in the world.

The temple—also known as Shri Sanathana Dharma Aalayam— in Kalideres, West Jakarta, is also the largest Indian Hindu temple in Southeast Asia. Gerindra is one of Indonesia's largest political parties.

The laying of the temple's foundation stone took place on Feb 14, 2020, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic for two years. "This temple would never have happened without Gema Sadhana (Sanathana Dharma Society Movement), a wing of the Gerindra Party," Kobalen said when receiving the Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI) award for the Shri Sanathana Dharma Aalayam Temple as the largest Indian Hindu temple in Southeast Asia, in Jakarta, Sunday, Feb 2, 2025. 

"Gema Sadhana would never have existed without the Gerindra Party. In conclusion, this place exists because of the Gerindra party and behind the Gerindra party, the Head of Garuda, Mr. Haji Prabowo Subianto, and all the party founders, our seniors, and Mr. Hashim." The Garuda is a mythical bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology and is Indonesia's national emblem.

Therefore, he continued, the temple is not Kobalen's work. He admitted that he was nobody. "My only greatness is that I am a former scavenger in Medan city, a shoe shiner who lived and grew up on the streets, who sometimes enjoyed food from garbage dumps," Kobalen said.

"With that condition, it was impossible to build this temple. Without Mr. Prabowo, we would not have been able to get support. There is no Gerindra Party, there is no Gema Sadhana, which is the wing of the Gerindra Party." 

Two Deciding Factors

He clarified that without two forces, namely Prabowo and the Gerindra Party, Gema Sadhana would not exist. This means, he continued, that the temple would also not exist.

"The Indonesian and international awards should actually be received by Mr. Prabowo and the senior founders of the party, who thought and gave birth to the party with blood, sweat, and lives, of which I am one of the witnesses," he said. "Many of our cadres in fighting for the party to enter the national level had to sacrifice their lives, blood, and others. Thank you."

He also expressed his gratitude for the support of benefactors throughout Indonesia across religions, and even from abroad, so that a magnificent temple could be built in Jakarta, in Indonesia. 

This is a historic moment because it is the largest in ASEAN and the most unique in the world. "The preparation for the inauguration of this temple was 10 days and all the committee members fasted," he explained. "If in our welcome, our words, there are mistakes here and there, we apologize. This purification ritual brought in 101 senior priests from Tamil Nadu, South India."

The Largest and Most Unique in the World

Kobalen further explained the MURI award to the Shri Sanathana Dharma Aalayam Temple as the largest temple in ASEAN and the most unique in the world. "This is something to be proud of," he said.

"The first unique thing is that there are no specific sectarian rules in this temple. In Hinduism, there are sects of Shiva, Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, in India they are always separated. So, in a Krishna temple, we cannot pray about Goddess Durga. But, here all schools, all sects are united."

The aim is for all Hindus, regardless of their background, to be able to worship comfortably in the temple. This temple is an open place for people from within and outside the country to worship and believe safely and comfortably. "The second unique thing is that if we look at the tower, in India it is concrete, solid from the bottom, dense," he said. "While the Murugan Temple is empty inside, a tunnel."

Another unique feature is that the prayer house is located on the second floor, not on the first floor. In addition, there is no caste distinction. "Here, all Hindus can worship," he said. "The capacity is for 1,000 people. This temple is not open 24 hours, the priests have to sleep."

Center for Spiritual Tourism

The temple is also expected to be not only a tourist spot. The presence of the house of worship must be a symbol that shows that this is Indonesia based on Pancasila, which is Unity in Diversity. Pancasila is the official, foundational philosophical theory of Indonesia, a set of five principles that guide the country's governance and the conduct of its citizens.

"On top of that, our target is for this to become a center for domestic and foreign spiritual tourism," he said. "We are amazed that there is the Istiqlal Mosque, there is the Cathedral, so this temple must be an additional spiritual value with Indian culture. If we look at the gate, this is a Balinese and Javanese nuanced Candi Bentar. Entering the temple, on the right side, there will be Javanese Ramayana carvings, on the left side Mahabharata, on top of it Hindu nuances."

He also mentioned that in India there is "Amar Akbar Anthony". This is a film about three brothers who were separated from their parents in childhood, and raised in three different faiths, namely Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. They are then reunited as young men and fight against the main enemy.

He continued, the target of the temple's construction is also to attract tourists. This aims to improve the economy of the surrounding community for the better. "We are also still thinking about free (no entrance fee) to this day," he explained. "What we demand is only cleanliness, adherence to the rules, and not wearing footwear when entering the area."

He emphasized that there are many temples in Indonesia. But, the Shri Sanathana Dharma Aalayam Temple is the most magnificent, most comfortable, most beautiful, best, and largest in ASEAN, with unique architecture.