Monk's Bowl Village and Bamrung Meuang
On a cloudy Saturday morning in September I drove my motorbike to the 'old town' area of Bangkok & took a walk around the Bamrung Mueang & Baan Bat community in Banglamphu today, aka 'Monk's Bowl Village'/'Buddha Road'. The Bamrung Meung road area was established during the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV) in 1863, while the Baan Bat area was established by Rama I a century or so before that. In this very unique-to-Thailand area, shops with master artisans have been manufacturing & selling all sorts of Buddhist temple paraphernalia for hundreds of years. statues of all sizes & colors, monk supplies, candles and any Buddhist temple paraphernalia imaginable. The Baan Baht community is named after the 'bàht', or sacred alms bowls for Buddhist monks, which have been crafted here for hundreds of years. Most modern alms bowls are manufactured in factories, with this last hold-out of artisanal bowl production business being handled out by one extended family, one which has been doing it for many generations.
It's interesting to see these holy idols sitting wrapped in plastic, essentially shelved & awaiting purchase like potato chips at 7-11. I believe that, until they've been blessed by monks they aren't yet sanctified as 'official' buddhas. 🇹🇭
The sounds of clanking metal and, especially on a cloudy morning, the glare & reflection from giant Buddha statues stands out against the concrete backdrop of the old shop houses. ⛩️
Read MoreIt's interesting to see these holy idols sitting wrapped in plastic, essentially shelved & awaiting purchase like potato chips at 7-11. I believe that, until they've been blessed by monks they aren't yet sanctified as 'official' buddhas. 🇹🇭
The sounds of clanking metal and, especially on a cloudy morning, the glare & reflection from giant Buddha statues stands out against the concrete backdrop of the old shop houses. ⛩️
