A village known for of artists, craftsmen, old legends and mysterious tales. The Batuan artisans are gifted dancers, sculptors and painters.  Batuan is best know as the birthplace of the "Batuan Style" of painting and "Gambuh", the oldest form of dance-drama in Bali.  Batuan possesses one of the richest cultural legacies on the island and is widely recognized as ground zero  for Balinese creative arts.

The Buddhist brahmans of Batuan and the famous former king of the village, Anak Agung Gede Oka (1860 - 1947), were responsible for making Batuan the center on Bali for the most elegant of all Balinese dance forms, the gambuh. In all of Bali only two troupes from Batuan still perform this theatrical presentation of tales of ancient princes and princesses.

Batuan is also famous for its wayang wong, masked performances of stories from the Ramayana.