Such textiles featuring squatting figures in prayer are said to be reminiscent of the bas relief sculpture of Hindu-Buddhist temples in Java and Bali. Although Bali is considered part of the Lesser Sunda Islands, its Indianised culture is directly descended from pre-Islamic classical Java. The textile was woven by the double ikat technique, where the resist dyeing process was applied to both vertical and horizontal threads. Such cloth were known as ‘geringsing’, which means ‘without’ (‘sing’) ‘illness’ or ‘evil’ (‘gering’) and are believed to have curative properties. They are also symbols of high status and are important in Balinese rituals.
