Legend states that in Bedulu lived the last king of Pejeng (an old Balinese kingdom), Sri Aji Asura Bumibanten, who had supernatural powers.

Compared to the lowland Balinese, their relative isolation preserved some original Austronesian elements, apparent in Bali Aga architecture.

[11] In Tenganan, where tourism is more easily embraced and the people are said to be more friendly, a three-day festival called Udaba Sambah is held during June or July.

She notes that these villages were subjected to much outside influence, close as they are to the sea and therefore to the trading route between India and China and the Spice Islands, that touched the north of Bali.

[19] In geringsing, both the cotton warp and weft threads are carefully dyed and cross-dyed before weaving; the finished pattern only emerges as the cloth is woven.

According to textile expert John Guy, "the ancestry of Balinese geringsing is far from clear, although some cloths display the unmistakable influence of patola",[20] the silk double ikats produced in Gujarat during the height of the Spice Trade (16-17C).

Many have unique Hindu motifs such as a bird's eye view of a mandala with a sacred center from which everything radiates.

Geringsing are regarded as sacred cloths, "ascribed supernatural properties, especially to assist in forms of healing, including exorcism.

In Sukawana (Bangli Regency), an inscription dated to 883 AD was found on Mount Kintamani, that lists the occupation of indigo-dyeing (mangnila) and morinda-dyeing (mamangkudu) as being exempt from taxation.

In Wunga, cloths were mud-dyed by steeping them first in a hot bath of tannin-rich barks and leaves, followed by immersion in stagnant mud rich in ferrous salts.

[24] The village of Tenganan Pegringsingan (Karangasem Regency) holds a more extreme position on the matter: indigo is considered impure and is entirely forbidden.