THE earthquake which hit Yogyakarta on May 27, 2006 terrified Marsis Soetopo, head of The Borobudur Conservation Office. The 6.2-magnitude quake devastated the district of Bantul and seriously damaged the nearby Prambanan Temple.

Marsis, who rushed to asses the damage, was relieved to find Borobudur remained largely unscathed. "Construction of the temple was strong," he told Tempo's Heru C.N. Marsis feared Borobudur had collapsed as a result of the q