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span class="inline inline-left">Replica: The Khatulistiwa Monument stands in the heart of Pontianak, West Kalimantan, ready for visitors for the solar culmination on March 21 to 23. The visible columns are replicas of the original monument, built in 1928. JP/Severianus EndiThe atmosphere seemed quiet at the Equatorial (Khatulistiwa) Monument in North Pontianak, West Kalimantan on Monday. Despite being only two days ahead of the equatorial culmination phenomenon, preparation activities were not yet noticeable in the complex located on Jl. Khatulistiwa in the city.

“Preparations for the culmination event will be carried out tomorrow,” Pontianak Tourism Office technical implementation unit head Misbar said.

Solar culmination is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the sun is exactly located directly over the equator, to the extent that every shadow of objects on the earth’s surface disappears. Shadows of the monument, people or any other standing objects will simply vanish.

The amazing solar phenomenon takes place twice every year, from March 21 (Wednesday) to 23 and from Sept. 21 to 23. The natural spectacle has been packaged as a tourist attraction for many years.

According to Misbar, the number of visitors usually reaches more than 1,000 people during the solar culmination event, while the number of visitors tapers to around 100 on normal days.

Khatulistiwa Monument maintenance technician Ramli, 36, said the number of visitors usually rises during weekends and holidays.

According to 2011 data, 5,708 foreign tourists visited the monument last year, mostly coming from Malaysia (2,789).

March’s culmination moment will be a subtle affair compared to the more joyful event held in September, which coincides with Pontianak’s anniversary.

Pontianak municipal councilor Arif Joni Prasetyo said the monument tended to have received less attention because the land is owned by the military.

“However, lobbying efforts have been made so the area can be upgraded to take advantage of its potential as a tourist attraction and educational area. The monument and surrounding areas must be renovated,” said Arif.

Local resident Lorens, 39, whose house is just 200 meters from the monument, said that the site was disorganized and chaotic. He hoped the government would organize it better and raise the tourism awareness of local residents. “Especially at night when the place is dark, people don’t see it as an interesting tourist site,” said Lorens.

The head of the West Kalimantan chapter of the Indonesian Tour Operators Association (HPI), M. Tasuri, 44, who has been involved in the tourism industry as a guide for 18 years, said most foreign clients tended to accept the condition of the facility as it is.

“Nature has created something such as the culmination of the sun, and the monument is even located in the city, which is a very big benefit,” said Tasuri, who is better known as Alex Afdal by foreign tourists.

The Khatulistiwa Monument is located only 3 kilometers from the heart of Pontianak. The four columns that can be seen from the road today are replicas, as the original smaller monument, built in March, 1928, is located inside a square domed structure at the foot of the replica.

Information on its history is available on the walls inside the dome, including old photographs and detailed explanations. As the information center explains, an international expedition team, led by a Dutch geographer, arrived in March, 1928 to set the equatorial point or milestone in Pontianak.

Today’s monument differs from the original, as it has undergone four changes. When it was built in 1928, the monument little more than a simple milestone with arrows. In 1930, the monument was revised, adding a circular structure around the arrows.

It further revised in 1938, and again in 1990 by adding a dome to protect the original monument and constructing the replica monument, which was five times bigger than the original. The monument, as it stands today, is made up of four black wooden pillars.

Tour packages, including visits to the monument and the charms of the Kapuas River, offer visitors an interesting glimpse of Pontianak. Visitors can stop at Kadriyah Palace, built by Sultan Syarif Abdurrahman Al Kadrie on Oct. 23, 1771, and the nearby Jami Mosque with its unique wooden pillars, and finish the tour at the Khatulistiwa Monument via a boat ride along Kapuas River.