Nakhon Si Thammarat

Nakhon Si Thammarat, the second largest province in southern Thailand, lies 780 kilometers south of Bangkok along the Gulf of Thailand within the lush interior of the Isthmus of Kra.

 

Nakhon Si Thammarat played an important role in the history of Thailand, including its role as an important center of Thai Buddhism perhaps as early as the Srivijaya Period or earlier in the 3rd century C.E.

 

Nakhon Si Thammarat was also a major region of trade between merchants from the Indian, Arabic, Dvaravati, and Champa states and later for merchants from British, Portuguese and Dutch empires. 

 

In addition to its great history, Nakhon Si Thammarat boasts many undeveloped beaches as well as two national parks within an interior of verdant jungles abundant with luxuriant vegetation, beautiful waterfalls, and exotic wildlife.

 

Nakhon Si Thammarat city contains many Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu temples and is an excellent place to see a performance of Thai nǎng tàlung featuring handmade shadow puppets, a performance art the region is famed for. In fact, both Thai nǎng tàlung (shadow play) and lákhon (Thai classical dance-drama) art forms were developed in Nakhon.

 

Nakhon Si Thammarat, the second largest province in the south, lies 780 kilometers south of Bangkok. The capital of Nakhon Si Thammarat is one of the most ancient cities in Thailand, formerly the capital of the Kingdom of Ligor, which was an independent kingdom for many centuries and a historical center of Buddhism in ancient Thailand.

 

Today Nakhon Si Thammarat is renowned for its shadow puppets, its beautiful countryside, and its beautiful and diverse temple architecture. 

 

- Authentic shadow puppets are only available at the studio of Suchart Subsin.