Built From Beer Bottles
The story began in 1984, when the monks here, dismayed by the litter around them, started collecting discarded bottles. Rather than simply recycling them, they began building with them, and the collection grew into an entire temple complex. The count has long since passed a million bottles, brought by monks, locals and visitors alike.
Green, Brown and a Mosaic of Caps
Not every bottle makes the cut: the builders use mainly green Heineken bottles and the brown bottles of a local Thai beer, set into cement so that the walls glow when the light passes through them. The metal bottle caps have not gone to waste either — they are worked into mosaics, including images of the Buddha.
More Than One Building
What began as a single temple is now a whole compound of more than twenty structures built the same way — prayer halls, monks’ quarters, a water tower and even a crematorium — and it is still growing. It is a working monastery as well as a curiosity, and a quietly serious statement about recycling as much as a piece of folk art.
FAQ
Where is the Temple of a Million Bottles?
In Khun Han district of Sisaket province, in Thailand’s north-eastern Isan region, near the Cambodian border. The nearest airports are Ubon Ratchathani and Buriram; most visitors come by road from those cities.
Is it a real, working temple?
Yes — Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew is an active Buddhist monastery. Dress and behave respectfully as you would at any temple, covering shoulders and knees.
