The art of batik is most highly developed in the island of Java in Indonesia. In Java, all the materials for the process are readily available — cotton and beeswax and plants from which different vegetable dyes are made.
Indonesian batik predates written records: G. P. Rouffaer argues that
the technique might have been introduced during the 6th or 7th century
from India or Sri Lanka. On the other hand, the Dutch archaeologist
J.L.A. Brandes and the Indonesian archaeologist F.A. Sutjipto believe
Indonesian batik is a native tradition, since another regions in
Indonesia such as Toraja, Flores, Halmahera, and Papua, which were not
directly influenced by Hinduism, have an age-old tradition of batik
making.
batik hand painting indonesia
