The Sanctuary Of The Heart

Tucked away in the quiet of Magelang, facing the majestic Candi Borobudur and the ring of volcanic mountains, lies the tranquil resort of Amanjiwo, a home for the wandering soul.

- KELLY LEWI

WHEN ONE THINKS of travelling to Java, the first destination in mind is usually to the west of the island, where Jakarta and Bandung are. Many tend to overlook central Java, where the Special Region of Yogyakarta is situated — a city more commonly called Yogya by Indonesians. It is the heart of the Javanese culture, a land rich with cultural and ancestral heritage.

However, if you take just an hour-and-half-long car ride from Yogya, you will discover an even more overlooked city: Magelang. Located about 45 kilometres from Yogya, Magelang is the perfect haven for those seeking nature’s solitude. I settled myself in Amanjiwo, a nook within the nook that is Magelang. Between its jaw-dropping architecture and the green nature surrounding its vicinity, Amanjiwo is more than just a resort.

TO KNOW AMANJIWO

Amanjiwo itself is derived from two words: aman and jiwo, meaning safety/peace and soul respectively. Proving to be aptly named, Amanjiwo is akin to a hidden sanctuary, nestled in between terraces of rice paddies and a ring of mountains in the distance. It is located about half an hour away from the main city of Magelang, a place untouched by the bustle of the city.

It is designed to mirror the grandeur Candi Borobudur, the biggest Buddhist temple in the entire world that earned itself a UNESCO World Heritage title (more on that later on — I can write about this temple alone for pages on end). Amanjiwo is constructed to be a reflection of the temple. A guide, Pak Hatta, who had worked in Borobudur for decades, told me the origins of Amanjiwo. “If you draw a straight line from Borobudur, you will reach Amanjiwo. That was the whole design concept of the resort,” he explained.