The Importance of Zoning in Dieng Temple

Dieng Temple with the beauty of its natural landscape which is wrapped in cultural richness has undoubtedly become a magnet for tourism enthusiasts. Located in the highlands, 2000 metres above sea level, Dieng Temple is located in two administrative areas, namely Banjarnegara Regency and Wonosobo Regency, Central Java Province. The Dieng Temple was built in two stages: between 650-730 AD which was called Old Dieng Langgam and 730800 AD or New Dieng Langgam. The temples included in the Old Dieng Langgam style are Arjuna Temple, Semar Temple, Srikandi Temple, and Gatotkaca Temple, while the New Dieng Langgam style includes Puntadewa Temple, Sembodro Temple, and Bima Temple.

Arjuna Temple is often engulfed in mist. Dit. DPK

Based on the distribution of the temples, there are six clusters of temples (temple complexes) which are included in the administrative area of Banjarnegara Regency, namely (1) Dwarawati Temple, (2) Setyaki Temple, (3) Arjuna Temple Complex, (4) Gatotkaca Temple, (5) Kunti Temple and (6) Bima Temple. In addition to the cluster of temples, there are remnants of the Dharmasala building and the ancient tunnel of Gangsiran Aswatama. The relics of Hindu sites in the administrative area of Wonosobo Regency include two sites, the Tuk Bimo Lukar Site and the Watukelir Site.

After the old temples were built, the people who adopted the Dieng culture, who were mostly Hindu, seemed to just disappear. The Dieng Temple was discussed again after a British soldier named H.C. Cornelius wrote down the findings of archaeological sites in his travel notes in 1814. Then the Dutch, J. Kinsbergen and Van Kinsbergen visited the Dieng plateau in 1856 and reactivated gangsiran aswatama so that the water circulation in the Arjuna Temple complex returned to a good condition and the temple was not flooded. However, the excavation and utilisation process was also quite controversial, because according to the community, the Dutch also took stones off the temples to build infrastructure around the temple. In addition, they also found various valuable relics such as jewellery which they raided and brought to the Netherlands.

The Dieng Temple Cultural Conservation Area has been designated as a National Rank Cultural Conservation Area based on the Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture number 007/M/2017. Cultural heritage establishment is a such goverment’s protection effort to ensure its sustainability.

In addition to what i mentioned above, the safeguards as mandated in Constitution Number 11 of 2010 about Cultural Conservation are zoning. Zoning is the establishment of spatial boundaries that aim to regulate, control, and facilitate various needs in the effort to preserve cultural heritage. There are four zones that can be applied to the site or cultural heritage area, namely the core zone, buffer zone, developer zone, and support zone. The four zones do not have to be all there, it can be adjusted to the protection needs and the results of the study. In general, the basis for determining zoning includes:

a. Identification of the distribution, type, and density level of material cultural heritage;

b. The importance of its value for history, science, education, religion, and culture;

c. Environmental conditions (physical, social, cultural, administrative);

d. Utilisation and planning of space utilisation in and around the site and/or cultural conservation area;

e. Zone development and utilisation potential; and

f. The nature, types, and forms of disturbances and threats that have an impact on the cultural conservation

In 2020, a Zoning Study of the National Ranking of the Dieng Temple was carried out by involving several archaeologists, anthropologists, planologists, and mapping experts. As we know, the Dieng Temple Cultural Conservation Area is characterised by a site with a spreading pattern, so that the characteristics of the surrounding land use are also different. For this reason, it is appropriate to use a cell model zoning system. The results of the study formulated three zones in this area, namely the core zone of 34.63 hectares, the buffer zone of 68.43 hectares, and the development zone of 66.01 hectares.

1) The core zone is the main protected area to protect the most important part of the cultural heritage. In this zone, no intervention is allowed except for research purposes or efforts to protect cultural heritage. The determination of the core zone in the Dieng Temple Cultural Conservation Area is based on the need for protection and also land ownership by the government, namely the Central Java Cultural Conservation Preservation Center.

Gatotkaca Temple; - Dit. DPK Dwarawati Temple - Dit. DPK

2) Support zone is the area that protects the core zone. The shape of the buffer zone ideally surrounds the core zone, but based on the existing characteristics of land use, infrastructure, and topography in the Dieng area, this form cannot be achieved: some parts of the development zone cannot be made around the core zone. A strategy was also made to overcome these obstacles, namely establishing strict rules so as not to add to the potential threat to the sustainability of cultural heritage. Concretely, existing buildings or facilities are allowed to remain to stand, but new buildings are prohibited from being erected.

3) Development zone is an area for activities to develop potential cultural heritage for recreational purposes, natural environment conservation areas, cultural landscapes, traditional cultural life, religion, and tourism. This zone is a densely built area, both residential and commercial, so it is necessary to control licensing for development and utilisation in this area. Regulations concerning the zoning of the Dieng Enshrinement Cultural Conservation Area can be applied if it is stated or adopted in a regional regulation regarding regional spatial planning. Therefore, there is a need for synchronization between the results of the zoning study and the Regional Spatial Plan (RTRW) or the Detailed Spatial Planning (RDTR). In this regard, communication has been established with the Banjarnegara and Wonosobo Regency Spatial Planning Offices during the socialization of the results of the zoning study in 2020.

In the regional spatial plan in Banjarnegara Regency and Wonosobo Regency, the Dieng Temple Cultural Conservation Area is included in the cultural protection area. However, the provisions regarding activities and regulations related to development, utilisation, and development in the area have not been described in detail. The results of the zoning study that have been carried out by the team are expected to improve the RTRW which every five years can be evaluated and revised if deemed necessary. This is a bright spot in the protection efforts through zoning which will then be adopted in the regional spatial planning regulations where the cultural heritage is located.

With the synchronisation of regulations between the central government and local governments, as well as the concern of the community around the cultural heritage area, it is hoped that the Dieng Temple Cultural Conservation Area can be sustainable. The preservation of the Dieng Temple Cultural Conservation Area will certainly have an impact on the preservation of cultural heritage, Dieng local culture, and the Dieng Plateau landscape which has been an attraction for tourists. It is hoped that the wheels of the community’s economy can also spin well, for the welfare of the community (Albertus

Napitupulu, Directorate of Cultural Protection, Kemdikbudristek).

A Dieng potato farmer prays before planting his rice field -

Dit. DPK A discussion among the members of the temple zoning team

Dit. DPK