Click here to see gallery of the Prambanan temple compex

An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale hit parts of Indonesia on May 27th, causing the worst humanitarian disaster the country has faced since the 2004 Tsunami. The earthquake struck Yogyakarta and parts of Central Java. Some 6,200 people have died and 25,000 have been injured; 135,000 homes were also destroyed.

Amongst the earthquake's casualties was the famous Prambanan temple complex, which is listed by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site. The earthquake sent intricate stone carvings crashing to the ground and destroyed years of restoration work in less than a minute. Last Sunday, large chunks of temple pillars could be seen scattered on the ground, as local inhabitants surveyed the damage.

The exquisitely beautiful Prambanan temple complex was constructed between the 8th and 9th centuries CE, a time when Hinduism was the major religion in Indonesia. Currently, Hindus make up about 3% of the country's 245 million population

The temple complex is one of the most important tourist destinations in the region. It will be closed to the public until archaeologists are able to determine whether quake also damaged the foundation or tilted the shrines, said Agus Waluyo, head of the Yogyakarta Archaeological Conservation Agency. "It will take months to identify the precise damage," he said.

Hindu Voice comment: We extend our thoughts to the hundreds of thousands of people who have suffered loss in the earthquake in Indonesia, and encourage all our readers to contribute to the relief efforts in whatever way they can.