A Dying Tradition

The clanging of hammers on metal, echoing through the back alleys of Bangkok, signals a fading tradition

- Hastings Forman

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 these 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” – bat is the Thai word for a monk’s bowl;