Monk's Bowl Village (Ban Bat)

Monk's Bowl Village is a village within Bangkok where a cottage industry exists making monks' alms bowl. The village, known locally as Ban Bat, has been producing monk's bowl since the late 18th century.

Monk's Bowl Village is located at Soi Ban Bat, an alley off Bamrung Muang Road. The village has very much reduced in size - hemmed in by the urban development of Bangkok. It used to stretch all the way to Wat Saket. Today Ban Bat is nothing more than a few homes and a cluster of workshops.

There is a specific "recipe" for making the alms bowl. Eight pieces of metal, representing the eight spokes of the wheel of Dharma, are used. The first piece is beaten to form the rim. Three more pieces are hammered to form the skeleton. Then four triangular pieces are added to form the sides. The metal are welded together, fired in a kiln, filed and polished, and fired again.

List of Neighbourhoods in Bangkok; list of Districts of Bangkok

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