Pahurat, Bangkok's Little India

Pahurat (also spelt Phahurat) is Bangkok's Little India: a few blocks of fabric shops, tailors, sweet shops and Indian canteens on the western edge of Chinatown. It grew up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Punjabi and Sikh merchants settled here and built a textile trade that still defines the area. Its landmark is Thailand's most important Sikh temple, the Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha.

It's small, workaday and mostly a daytime place — but it's easy to combine with Chinatown, and it's where you'll find the most everyday Indian food and shopping in Bangkok.

What to see and do

Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha

The gold-domed gurdwara, between Phahurat Road and Chakkraphet Road, was founded in the early 1930s and is the centre of Sikh life in Thailand. Visitors are welcome in the main prayer hall, on an upper floor, where hymns are sung with harmonium and tabla.

• Cover your head — head coverings are provided free at the entrance.
• Take off your shoes and wash your hands before entering.
• Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered.
• Don't take alcohol or tobacco into the gurdwara.
• Langar: gurdwaras traditionally serve a free vegetarian meal to anyone who comes, and visitors may be invited to join. Ask at the gurdwara whether and when langar is being served; eat what you take, and a donation is welcome but not required.

The fabric market

Pahurat is Bangkok's traditional centre of the fabric trade. The lanes around Phahurat Road, Chakkraphet Road and Tri Phet Road are lined with shops selling fabric by the metre — silk, cotton, brocade, lace — plus saris, kurtas, sequins, ribbons and costume materials for Thai dance and festivals. Many shops are wholesale but sell to individuals too.

India Emporium and Old Siam Plaza

• India Emporium is a four-storey mall of fabric, clothing and Indian goods, with small food stalls outside.
• The Old Siam Plaza, a short walk north, is known for Thai desserts on its ground floor and fabric and jewellery upstairs.

Spices and sweets

Small shops along Phahurat Road sell Indian spices, dals, pickles and incense, and there are Indian sweet shops for mithai and namkeen.

Eating in Pahurat

Expect simple canteens and stalls rather than restaurants: samosas, chaat, thalis, North Indian curries and Indian sweets, alongside Thai vendors. Much of the Indian food here is vegetarian. For a wider list of vegetarian options, see vegetarian and Jain food in Bangkok.

When to go

Pahurat is a daytime neighbourhood: most shops open from mid-morning until around 5:30pm, according to recent guides. It's busiest on weekdays with traders. Go in the morning, then walk east into Chinatown — Sampeng Lane starts right next door — and stay for Yaowarat's street food after dark.

Getting there

• MRT Blue Line to Sam Yot, then about 10 minutes on foot.
• Chao Phraya Express Boat to Ratchawong pier or Pak Khlong Talat (Rajinee) pier, then a short walk.
• From Chinatown, it's a 10–15 minute walk west along Sampeng Lane or Chakkrawat Road.

• Bangkok Chinatown (Yaowarat)Chinatown is two places: a hectic wholesale district by day and one of the world's great street-food streets by night. Plan for both.
• Vegetarian and Jain Food in BangkokThe problem in Bangkok isn't the meat you can see — it's the fish sauce you can't. Learn one word and one flag, and vegetarian eating gets easy. Jain eating takes a little more planning.