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A Dying Tradition
THE CLANGING OF HAMMERS ON METAL, ECHOING THROUGH THE
BACK ALLEYS OF BANGKOK, SOUNDS OUT A FADING TRADITION
In the face of globalisation,
numerous traditional arts are at risk of
disappearing. In Thailand, one craft
on the brink of extinction is the making
of monks’ alms bowls – by hand.
It is common to see Buddhist monks
wandering through the country with
Text Hastings Formanthese bowls, collecting offerings from
devotees – a custom that dates back
thousands of years. The tradition of
handcrafting alms bowls is just as old.
However, now that most bowls
are mass-produced in factories, these
niche craft communities have died out...save one: Bangkok’s Ban Bat
(the “Monk’s Bowl Village” – bàht
is the Thai word for a monk’s bowl;
ban for community). A group of
craftsmen from Ayutthaya settled in
Ban Bat in 1783 during the reign of
King Rama I, and began making almsMEMORIES