More than 300 Nang Yai puppets are well preserved at this temple near Amphoe Photharam. Nang Yai is an old form of Thai entertainment with shadow play puppets. A Nang Yai performance involves manipulating puppets made of cowhide in front of a backlit white screen with musical and narrative accompaniment. The performance is so beautiful that during the reign of King Rama II of the early Rattanakosin Period, it is said that the play shook the whole city. This prompted master craftsmen of the Royal Court to create a set of Nang Yai puppets which they called Phra Nakhon Wai, or Shaking the City. The puppets were used for royal functions and special occasions.
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