Visit Wat Khanon & Nang Yai Museum (Ratchaburi)

People don't really visit Wat Khanon temple for its architecture, as it is a fairly classic temple in that regard. However, it is renowned as one of the last places, if not the very last in Thailand, to preserve and perpetuate one of the most ancient traditional Thai arts: Nang Yai, the monumental Thai shadow theatre. The temple features a school that teaches it and holds weekly performances (see below), but it also houses a museum dedicated to the large leather puppets and the history of this theatrical art. Notably, the museum preserves 313 Nang Yai characters, many of which represent figures from the Ramakien.

The local tradition dates back to the reign of Rama V. The former abbot, Phra Khru Sattha Sunthon (Luang Pu Klom), brought artisans together to create new leather figures for the performances.

What is Nang Yai?

Nang means leather and yai means big – a reference to puppets traditionally carved from leather (like the Nang Talung I've already talked about extensively in this video). Unlike many puppet shows around the world, Nang Yai relies primarily on the shadows of the puppets. Puppeteers, moving in very specific ways and to the rhythm of the music, wield large leather stencils representing characters in front of an illuminated screen, creating a silhouette of colors and shadows. They often perform scenes from the Ramakien, a story about good triumphing over evil following the battle between King Rama and Tosakanth, the demon king.

P.S.: You can catch a short sequence of Nang Yai in the show given at the Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre, admission to which is included in the ticket price of the Grand Palace in Bangkok.