This article covers cultural links between India and Indonesia, the Indian cultural centres in Indonesia, education, scholarships and ITEC training, tourism in both directions, and the Indian community in Indonesia. It is based on the MEA bilateral brief of June 2026.
Shared heritage
According to the MEA brief of June 2026, Hindu, Buddhist and later Muslim faith travelled to Indonesia from the shores of India. The brief describes the two countries as sharing two-millennia old close cultural and commercial contacts, a history outlined in the relations article of this guide.
The two countries also hold an Inter-faith Dialogue, which the brief lists among their consultation mechanisms.
The Nalanda copper plate
On 9 December, on the sidelines of the UNESCO IGC Meeting in New Delhi, India's Ministry of Culture handed over a replica of the 9th-century Nalanda Copper Plate to Indonesia's Ministry of Culture. The brief says the plate symbolises historic Nalanda-Muarajambi ties.
Indonesia marked the plate's incorporation into the Muarajambi Museum at a commemorative event attended by Culture Minister Fadli Zon. The brief presents the event as reflecting strengthening India-Indonesia cultural relations. Mr. Fadli Zon also took part in the WAVES 2025 Summit in India.
Indian cultural centres
There are two Indian cultural centres in Indonesia. The Jawahar Lal Nehru Indian Cultural Centre (JNICC) was established in 1989. The brief states that it has been active in creating cultural connectivity between India and Indonesia. Through outreach, collaborative events, presentations and in-house training activities, it has, in the brief's words, brought together creative minds and extraordinary talents of the two culturally awakened nations.
The Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Bali, formerly the Indian Cultural Centre, Bali, was inaugurated in October 2005 in the premises of the Indian Consulate General.
Education, scholarships and training
ICCR offers 20 scholarships every year to Indonesian students for higher studies in India. At present, three ICCR chairs exist in Indonesian universities.
The MoU on cooperation in Higher Education between India and Indonesia is being discussed by the two sides, as of June 2026.
Training under ITEC
The brief covers ITEC training in the same section as education. It states that Indonesia is a major recipient of ITEC and TCS of Colombo Plan scholarships. ITEC offers 100 slots to Indonesia every year, although the brief does not give the total number of Indonesians trained so far.
A 30 member delegation of Indonesian judges visited India from 24-28 April 2026 to attend a special training programme at the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal under the ITEC Programme.
Tourism
India emerged as the second largest source of tourists to Bali in 2023, after Australia. Overall, in 2024, India stood fifth in terms of tourists to Indonesia, with 7.1 Lakhs tourists, behind Malaysia, Australia, Singapore and China.
The brief states that the tourist outflow from Indonesia to India remains only in thousands.
The brief links Air India's additional frequencies on the Delhi-Bali sector to growing demand for two-way tourism. Flight details are given in the practical article of this guide.
The Indian community
Most Indonesians of Indian origin migrated to Indonesia during Dutch and British rule in the 19th and 20th centuries. According to the brief, there are close to 1,20,000 persons of Indian origin (PIO) in Indonesia.
The majority of the PIO community are from South India. A significant number are from North India, including Sindhis (around 10,000), Sikhs (around 10,000), Gujaratis and others.
There are also around 15,000 Indian nationals (NRIs) living in Indonesia. They include entrepreneurs, engineers, chartered accountants, IT professionals, consultants, bankers and people in other professions.