T

he third annual Borobudur Writers and Cultural Festival has kicked off, with Ratu Adil, which means Queen of Justice, as its central theme.

Held at the world heritage-listed Borobudur Temple and surrounding villages in Magelang, Central Java, from Thursday to Saturday, the event features some 100 authors and researchers, and is expected to present accurate and interesting stories involving Ratu Adil from across Indonesia.

'The event is dedicated to historian Sartono Kartodirjo, who conducted the first research into Ratu Adil in Banten,' event curator Seno Joko Suyono told the media on Wednesday.

Seno added that the myth of Ratu Adil, which expresses people's hope for a happy life under an enlightened leader, did not exist only in the Javanese Jangka Jayabaya prophecy story.

The myth, he explained, had long existed in areas across the country, including West Java, Bali, Makassar and Papua. Papuan mythology, for example, mentions a Ratu Adil figure named Makar Makeri, who is largely unknown outside the region.

'Researchers into Ratu Adil are gathering here. This is the first time that all researchers into Ratu Adil will meet,' Seno said.

The event is jointly organized by the Samana Foundation and management company PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan dan Ratu Boko (PT TWC).

Another curator, Wicaksono Adi, said Ratu Adil figures like Kartosuwiryo, a former nationalist who turned to radical Islam, had always been associated with rebellion and was therefore avoided by wider society.

'We hope to reevaluate the history of the Ratu Adil figure and refute misinterpretations of the myth,' said Wicaksono.

He added that lack of understanding about the cultural identity that linked all communities in Indonesia could lead to disintegration.

Meanwhile, PT TWC's director Lailly Prihatiningtyas said the event was also aimed at reviving Borobudur Temple as a center of knowledge.

One festivalgoer, journalist Taufik Rahzen, said the writers festival could lead to a new trend in the literary world.

This year's festival will also showcase art performances presented by locals in and around the temple.

The event will be officially closed on Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel in Yogyakarta. British historian Peter Carey will be granted the Sang Hyang Kamahayanikan 2014 award for his research into national hero Prince Diponegoro.