Category Archives: Nakhon Si Thammarat

Watching a Thai Shadow Puppet Show

Posted on March 10, 2011 by | 3 comments

Before the age of television soap operas and movies, Thai people entertained themselves by watching Shadow Puppet Shows. In Thai these are known as “Nang Talung” and were popular in Southern Thailand. Although you cannot see them so much these days, you might be lucky at a village festival, temple fair or some other kind of celebration such as a wedding. I was fortunate to see this show at a temple fair in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

The size of a puppet theatre will vary. At the very least there will be a puppeteer, Nai Nang, who manipulates all of the puppets and will also provide the voices. In addition there will be a small group of people from folly artists who provide sound effects to others who play musical instruments. However, this particular puppet show was a one man band and this old guy was doing everything by himself. Quite an incredible feat as you can see by the number of puppets he has to manipulate.

Like these children, I was just as fascinated by what was going on behind the screen as I was watching the show from the front. The puppets are made from cow’s hide which has been dried and flattened. These are then cut into the different figures, coloured and then varnished. This can take anywhere from hours to days, if not weeks for the more intricate designs. Once ready, two pieces of bamboo sticks are fixed to the cow’s hide which are used to manipulate the puppet. Some puppets might have extra sticks to manipulate other limbs.

A puppet theatre can have as many as 150 different puppets if not more. These are as varied as kings, princes, ladies, ogres, villagers and a large group of clowns. There are also stage props such as trees and houses.  Sizes of the puppets range from one foot to two and a half feet. Although many of the characters are traditional and haven’t changed for generations, you will also sometimes see more contemporary outfits. For example cowboys, movie stars and gangsters with guns. In the old days, many of the female puppets showed more of the face while the men were always shown in profile.

Although you may not be able to understand what is going on in the show as it is all narrated in Thai, you should be able to appreciate the humour. I certainly found it fascinating to watch as I had never seen a genuine shadow puppet show before. I think these puppet theatres are surviving as they are adapting by putting on performances with contemporary themes.  If you want to learn more about this ancient art, then I suggest that you visit the Thai Shadow Puppet Museum in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

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Posted in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thai Culture

Thai Shadow Puppet Museum

Posted on February 25, 2011 by | 4 comments

In the old days, before movies and T.V. soap operas, people were entertained with Nang Talung. This is the art of shadow puppets that first became popular in Southern Thailand two or three generations ago. It has since spread to other parts of Thailand, like the north-east, but many people still see it as an art form from the south. Unfortunately it is very rare to be able to see a shadow puppet show these days. Movies and T.V. shows are the preferred form of entertainment these days. However, during my recent trip to Nakhon Si Thammarat, I was lucky enough to be able to watch three shadow puppet shows.

Thailand’s most famous shadow puppet master is Mr. Suchart Sapsin. He has been making puppets and putting on performances since he was a teenager. He is now 72 years old and has been named a national artist of Thailand. In 1985, he said that he had a once in a lifetime opportunity to perform for H.M. The King. Apparently the performance greatly impressed the King and he thanked Suchart for keeping the ancient folk art alive in these modern times. “He also asked me not to hold back my knowledge and skill, and that I should pass it on to the next generation.” Suchart went on to say that “it was then that I decided to build a museum”.

The Shadow Puppet Museum, or “Ban Nang Talung Suchart Supsin” in Thai, is located in the same compound as his family home in Nakhon Si Thammarat. It is only a short ten minute walk from the famous pagoda at Wat Phra Mahathat. The museum is open every day and has no admission price. However, near the entrance there is a small shop selling genuine puppets and it is appreciated if you buy something or at least make a donation for the upkeep of the museum. Suchart’s son is now involved in the running of the museum so at least the shadow puppets will last another generation at least.

The museum itself is on the second floor of an old wooden building built on stilts. Here you will find a large collection of artefacts which trace the history of shadow puppets back more than 200 years. As well as a large collection of puppets, there  are also the different musical instruments that are used during the performance. In the old days they didn’t have any electricity so they had to use a lantern which is now on show here. Not all of the items on display have English labels, but they have produced a couple of excellent brochures in English which will help guide you to understand what you are looking at.

Downstairs we had a chance to see how they made the shadow puppets. These are made from buffalo or cow hide which are treated and then dried on a frame for three days. Once ready, the design is drawn on the leather and then small intricate tools are used to cut out the shapes. A basic puppet could take 3 or 4 hours to complete. But more complicated designs will take days if not weeks to complete. Once the puppet is finished, they are then painted using black, green, red and yellow colours. Bamboo sticks are then fastened to the puppets. Some only need 2 or 3 sticks but others need more as they will move things like eyebrows and tongues.

While we were there we were very fortunate to be given a performance by Suchart himself. These are not regular shows. If you want to see a shadow puppet show you would need to telephone in advance to make an appointment. Suchart operated all of the puppets himself and also did the different voices. However, there was one other person that provided the music and sound effects. It was actually really good as he managed to blend an ancient art form with modern contemporary issues. In the show that we watched some of the props included mobile phones, motorbikes and airplanes. It was a really good show and we all enjoyed it immensely.

I have posted more pictures on my Facebook Page.

The Shadow Puppet Museum can be found at 110/18 Si Thammarat Road, Soi 3. For further information, please call 07 534 6394.

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Posted in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Road Trips, Thai Culture

Kayaking and Pink Dolphins

Posted on February 24, 2011 by | 5 comments

Probably one of the best ways to see dolphins close up in Thailand is by kayak. During my recent trip to Nakhon Si Thamarat Province, I joined Khanom Fishing & Tour for their one day tour called “Conserving Dolphins, Conserving Khanom Environment”. They operate out of Khanom which is a district at the northern end of the province. Our boat ride along the coastline took us close to the ferries that were heading out to Koh Samui. I am told that if you catch one of these ferries then you have a good chance of spotting some dolphins.

Our trip started at Thong Nian where we boarded the tour boat. Our guide for the day was “Uncle Daeng” a charismatic guy who used to be a park ranger. His knowledge of the area is extensive and he told us not only about the views from the boat but also of his days as a ranger when he used to track poachers. Most of the beaches along this coastline were deserted though in a few places there was evidence of bungalows and resorts being built. However, we were told that most of this area is going to be protected as it is part of the newly created Hat Khanom – Mu Ko Thale Tai National Park.

The coastline is a mixture of lush forests, limestone mountains and mangrove forests. Uncle Daeng told us that on one of his tours he takes tourists to Khao Wang Cave which has some beautiful stalactites and stalagmites as well as some amazing rock formations. During our boat ride he took us past a series of limestone rock formations which have been nicknamed “Pancake Rock”. Long ago these used to be on the seabed when alternate layers of hard and soft sediments were piled on top of each other. Later, when they were forced to the surface, the wind and rain helped to erode the softer rock leaving these formations.

During the boat ride, there was a lookout on duty the whole time trying to spot the dolphins. Whenever we passed a fishing boat they slowed down so that they could ask the fishermen if they had seen any dolphins today. We were in luck. Some had been spotted further up the coastline. About 20 minutes later we saw the fin of our first dolphin. They surfaced for only a few seconds before going back under. This of course made it very difficult to get any pictures. These weren’t dolphins like at Safari World in Bangkok. These ones don’t pose for pictures so I ended up with a dozen photos of an empty sea and a few shots of fins!

Although these humpback dolphins are native to this area and can be seen year round, they are an endangered species and their numbers are dwindling. Despite the fact that they can live up to 60 years of age, an increasing number of dead dolphins have been found. Some of them had obviously been hurt by fishing nets from the bigger boats. Uncle Daeng told us that Khanom Fishing & Tour were working with the local community to help safeguard the dolphins. A series of buoys have been set up to mark the feeding ground of the dolphins so that fishing boats know to stay away. During the tour Uncle Daeng took us to a cove where he showed us how to plant sea grass which is their way of giving back to the environment.

To be completely  environmentally friendly, it is probably not a good idea to chase the dolphins in big boats. That is why we also went kayaking. This was great fun though maybe a little hot in the mid-day sun. We explored a number of different areas including a small rock island where a hermit monk used to live. The day long tour costs 1,200 baht for adults and 800 baht for childred aged 4-9. They also do free pick-up from your hotel and lunch is included. More details can be found on Khanom Fishing & Tour’s website. The map below shows the area where we explored by boat and kayak. More photos can be seen on my Facebook page.

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Posted in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Road Trips

Hae Pha Khuen Festival

Posted on February 19, 2011 by | 2 comments


One of the most important places to celebrate Makha Bucha Day, a Buddhist holiday, is at Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan. This royal temple, in Nakhon Si Thammarat in Southern Thailand, houses a relic of the Lord Buddha. On the full moon day during February every year, local people take part in a parade called Hae Pha Khuen That. They believe that taking part will bring them good fortune and success in life. So, Buddhists come from far away to take part in the parade.


In the old days, Thai Buddhists would prepare a long piece of white cloth painted with the story of the Buddha’s life. This cloth is known as Phra Bot. They would then carry this in a parade to the temple where they would wrap it around the giant stupa which houses a relic of the Buddha. These days, people don’t always have time to prepare such a cloth, so instead, many of them would carry cloths that were either coloured white, yellow or red.


The tradition of making a Phra Bot as an offering is done by Buddhists all around the world. In order to make the festival more of an international event, last year for the first time, the local government invited participants from other Buddhist countries such as Sri Lanka, India, Japan and China. This is rather apt as because the very first Phra Bot, which was used to wrap around the stupa, was originally made as an offering to the Buddha’s Footprint in Sri Lanka.


According to legend, the tradition of wrapping a Phra Bot around the stupa dated back to 1230 A.D. during the reign of King Si Thamma Sokkarat. He had just finished building a giant stupa called Phra Boromthat which housed a relic of the Lord Buddha. Before he had formerly dedicated the stupa, he heard that some people had been shipwrecked after a violent storm. With them they had a Phra Bot which they were taking to Sri Lanka as an offering. The King decided to bring this Phra Bot to the stupa where he wrapped it around the construction as an offering to the Buddha. This then became an annual tradition.


I was lucky yesterday to be able to take part in this parade for the first time. I had flown down to Nakhon Si Thammarat by Nok Air the day before. The flight only took 70 minutes compared to ten hours by bus. The parade started near the City Pillar on Ratchadamnoen Road. There were literally thousands of people taking part in the parade. These varied from local schools and organisations to individual Buddhists who had travelled from far and near to take part in this important pilgrimage. Most of them were holding onto a piece of the Phra Bot cloth.


After the opening ceremony by the provincial governor, the parade set off along Ratchadamnoen Road towards Wat Phramahathat Woramahawihan. Although we could see it in the far distance, I think it took us nearly an hour to walk there. It was a very hot day and even though people were obviously exhausted, I think they were happy to take part. Along the way local people had come out to watch and also to offer water to the people taking part in the parade. I arrived ahead of the parade only to find that there were already thousands of people at the temple wrapping cloths around the stupas, both big and small.


I climbed the steps to the base of the giant stupa. This is an up-turned bell-shaped chedi in the Sri-Lankan style. Although the parade hadn’t arrived yet, many pieces of cloth had already been wrapped around the base which has a circumference of 36 meters. The stupa itself is 53 meters high. The last eight meters at the very top is made from solid gold. This is the part that houses a tooth, which is a relic of the Lord Buddha. People were either stapling or pinning their pieces of cloth to the ones that were already there. They were also writing prayers on the cloth.


I had a really enjoyable time taking part in this festival. The whole event took place between 12th and 18th February 2011. They had many other activities during the past week which led up to the parade on the last day. This included a light and sound show that I watched on Thursday night. If you get a chance, it is definitely worth visiting Nakhon Si Thammarat next year during the week leading up to the full moon in February. There is a lot to see and do in this province which I will tell you about another day. In fact, I am still here and tomorrow I will be going on a boat tour where I will be doing some kayaking. Hopefully we will get a chance to see some pink dolphins. More about that later.

– Posted from my iPad

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Posted in Buddhism, Festivals, Nakhon Si Thammarat

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT

Posted on July 31, 2006 by | 3 comments

Normal day - in the city !
The city name means, ‘Grand city of the just king‘. It is around 830 kilometers from Bangkok, by train , and 780 kms, by car. Divided into 21 districts, or Amphoe, Nakhon is bordered by Surat Thani in the North, Trang and Krabi in the West, the Gulf of Thailand in the East, and Songkhla and Phatthalung in the South.

The city is serviced by Nok Air from Bangkok.

The city is nearly 1600 years old, and was first called Tambralinga, as well as many other names, such as Tan Ma Ling, Lochac and Ligor. Going back to the Buddhist 6th Century, the city has been a famous Buddhist centre and has a richness in Culture and History, second to none. There are many, many temples to visit.

Wat Phra Mahathat Woramaha
One of the main thoroughfares in Nakhon Si Thammarat, is Ratchadamnoen Rd. Along this road is one of the most famous of temples, ‘Wat Phra Mahathat Woramaha’ (see photo).
It is a royal temple and one of only six ( 6 ) temples of the ‘Woramaha Wihan’ type. The temple holds the holy relics of Lord Buddha in the ‘Phra Borom That Chedi’ pagoda .
The pagoda has a distinctive Ceylonese ( Sri Lankan ) style, and stands around 56 meters high. The top is entirely covered in pure gold !
Further down the road, towards the city centre, you’ll find remnants of the ‘Old City Wall’. (see photo)

The Old City Wall
One of the highlights of a trip to Nakhon, is the National Museum (see photo). Situated in Tambon Nai Muang, on Ratchadamnoen Rd, the museum was opened in 1974 and displays artifacts from 4 southern provinces, Surat, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung and Chumphon. There is also a branch of the National Library where rare and interesting books can be viewed.

National Museum and Library

In surrounding Amphoe , there are Nature Walks through National Parks , Waterfalls , Limestone caves , Ancient Wats , Rafting expeditions , Thai handicrafts , Archaeological sites and Beaches . There’s something for everyone . One of the favourites is the Khao Wang Thong cave . It’s just 78 kms from the city centre and is AWESOME !

Do yourself a favour and visit Nakhon Si Thammarat!

Lovely, quiet Sois, too!

Choke dee, nah!
Bob

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Posted in Guest Writers, Nakhon Si Thammarat