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The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand

Volume XVI-2024 (Special Issue)

of Nakhon Si Thammarat were hardly aware that a cremation was taking place” (1950: 40).

By contrast, the event that attracted a large gathering of locals was the celebration of
the Phra Borommathat Stupa in Nakhon Si Thammarat, a major religious festival featuring
entertainment, which King Rama V also attended.
When King Chulalongkorn attended the Phra Borommathat Stupa event in 1905,
he took photographs with his personal photography equipment. Although there is no mention of
any Nora performance in the royal letters to the Council of Regents, the photographic evidence

from that visit confirms that Nora performers took part. They are the first photographic evidence
of Nora and confirm that the King observed this local performance. It is also highly likely that
he personally captured these photographs of Nora performers.
2.2 Examining King Rama V’s Nora Photographs in Their Social and Cultural Context
The four Nora-performance related photographs can be summarized as follows:

Source: the Office of the Prime Minister (1977: 125)

The two above images depict performances by Nora troupes, likely performed at
the same 1905 Phra Borommathat celebration in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The scenes suggest that

the two photographs were taken at that event but from different angles, as seems evident from
the shared backdrop and the same bare chested drummer seen in both images.
These photographs moreover reveal that this Nora performance was a male-dominated
performing art which included both the main Nora master (called the nai rong) and supporting
male dancers.
The nai rong and others who had undergone the krob Serd (Nora initiation ceremony)

wore the Serd (crown-like headdress). They were bare-chested, with ornamental beadwork
1
covering their shoulders and cross-body decorative sashes over their chests. The beadwork and
costumes, while elaborate, lacked the complexity and detail of modern Nora beaded vests.

1 The Serd headdress worn by Nora performers is a tall, pointed headpiece resembling a Thai crown but of
uniform height and adorned with a frontal frame. It serves as a distinctive element of the Nora costume,
symbolizing the cultural identity and artistic tradition of the performers.

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