ban baht

every buddhist monk needs a monks bowl, in which believers can put their alms during the morning alms walks. these bowls are traditionally made in bangkok in ban baht.

in this district, which covers an area of only a few alleys, several family workshops have been producing handmade metal bowls for more than 300 years. unfortunately, this handicraft tradition is almost extinct, as most monks today prefer bowls from industrial mass production, that cost only a fraction of these handmade bowls.

even if some temples prohibit the use of industrially produced bowls, only a few families in ban baht can make a living from this work. and the few who succeed in doing so only survive because of the tourists who are among their most important customers today.