Talat Mai: Temple History and Weaving

Talat Mai brings together two distinct cultural themes: the history of Wat Talat Mai and the woven crafts of Ban Talat Mai. The temple site is associated with its later decline, an earthen mound at the location of the ubosot, and the local name for the remains. The woven crafts, by contrast, lead to a group from Talat Mai Subdistrict and to practical items in a variety of forms. Together, these offer a place-based perspective on temple history and craftsmanship. If you also choose a destination for its cultural history, these two aspects of Talat Mai can be clearly distinguished.

Wat Talat Mai and the Temple Site

Wat Talat Mai later fell into ruin and became an abandoned temple site. An earthen mound marked the location of the ubosot; local residents called the remains Wat Bot Ban Kradueng. This gives three specific points of reference: the name Wat Talat Mai, the mound at the ubosot site, and the local name for the remains. The mound is a tangible indication of the ubosot’s location; the other name records what local residents called the remains. The temple’s history can thus be understood through a physical feature and a local naming practice.

Weaving Group from Ban Talat Mai

Another facet is the weaving group from Ban Talat Mai. In 1983, around 15 villagers who wove practical items joined together as a group in Moo 2 of Talat Mai Subdistrict. The time and place give the craft a specific community context. Unlike the temple history, the focus here is not on a site, but on people who came together around a practical activity. The weaving group therefore adds a perspective on Talat Mai through community work and design. Its work was not limited to a single item, but involved weaving a variety of practical objects.

Forms and Designs of the Woven Crafts

The woven crafts include handled baskets, hexagonal baskets, teapot-shaped items, lamps, miniatures and display pieces, as well as handbags in a variety of forms. The names differ according to what is highlighted about an item: the handled basket is named for a feature of its construction, while the hexagonal basket is named for its shape. Teapot-shaped items and lamps add other types of objects to these basket examples. The handbags, in turn, stand out for their variety of forms. The range of work thus extends beyond baskets to include different designs and objects.

One particular design shows a different approach to form. Mrs. Wanna developed a handbag design inspired by the shape of a fresh palmyra palm fruit. This identifies a specific model for the design. Alongside the variety of object shapes, the focus here is on the relationship between a bag and a natural form. The weaving craft can therefore be considered in terms of two aspects: the forms made by the group and the model that inspired Mrs. Wanna’s handbag design.

For choosing a destination, the two themes offer different points of interest: Wat Talat Mai represents the history of a temple site and its local name, while the weaving group represents community craftsmanship and a variety of designs. You can therefore include Talat Mai in your travel plans for its temple history or its woven crafts.

Discover more destinations: Talat Luang, Ban It.

Return to the main travel overview: Ang Thong.