When I read that only one village left in Bangkok still made the monk bowls used for collecting food alms, I had to visit. Most monk bowls are factory made now but Ban Batt Community still makes them by hand.
When you visit, you get to see the bowls being hammered by hand. It is amazing to see the bowls starting out as flat pieces of steel. It takes 8 separate pieces of steel to make one bowl.
Each family member seemed to have a different job. This lady was busy sanding down a bowl that was finished being hammered together.
This man’s job was to polish and smooth out the inside of the bowl. Considering this is where the monks keep their food, I hope he did a nice job!
The members of the community were very friendly and happy to see us checking out their bowls. It didn’t seem to be a place visited frequently by tourists. They tried to answer our questions as best as they could but their English was limited.
I wanted a souvenir from my visit but the large bowls were pricey and a bit bulky to bring home so I bought a small bowl which I still have today!
The village is located at Soi Ban Bat an alley off of Bamrung Muang Road. It is close to the Golden Mount Temple.
Very cool – great pics and enjoyed reading!