Wat Sawang Arom (Sing Buri)

Wat Sawang Arom sits on the bank of the Chao Phraya River in Tambon Ton Pho, about 3 km from central Sing Buri town. Founded in 1856 by Phra Khru Sing Munee — known locally as Luang Pho Rueang — the temple was originally called Wat Bang Mon, after the Mon traders who once moored their boats here (the settlement had no Mon residents itself, but the name stuck). Admission to the grounds and museum is free, and the temple opens Monday to Friday 09:00–16:00, Saturday to Sunday 08:30–17:00.

Experience

The temple area later became a centre for Buddha-image casting, inheriting the craft from the Bang Mon artisan lineage of Thonburi — a tradition that laid the groundwork for the puppet-carving skill the temple is known for today. Its reputation grew further after receiving a set of nang yai (large shadow puppet) figures from Khru Pia, head of a travelling puppet troupe from Ayutthaya.

The temple’s main draw today is its Nang Yai Museum (พิพิธภัณฑ์หนังใหญ่), set up in 2002 on the upper floor of the dharma hall. It holds more than 300 large shadow puppets cut from buffalo hide, organised into four sets that stage separate Ramakien episodes — Thotsakan (the ten-headed demon king), Indrachit, Wirun Chumbang, and Phra Mongkut-Lop. Each figure is mounted on a backlit panel so the cut leatherwork reads as a silhouette, the same effect used when the puppets are performed live against a screen.

The oldest pieces in the collection came from late-Ayutthaya-period craftspeople and from Khru Pia’s own troupe; more recent additions are made on-site by local students, some of whom now perform. Weekends bring the most activity — children train in cutting and painting new puppets, and finished pieces are sold directly from the workshop.

Atmosphere & Timing

Wat Sawang Arom is one of only three communities left in Thailand still actively performing nang yai, alongside Wat Khanon in Ratchaburi and Wat Ban Don in Rayong — most other surviving puppet sets in the country are static museum displays rather than a living performance tradition. That distinction is easy to miss on a quiet weekday visit, when the museum is open but no rehearsal is underway.

Insider Tip: A live nang yai performance isn’t scheduled weekly — call ahead (036-543-150, at least a few days’ notice) if seeing the puppets in motion against a lit screen matters more than just viewing the static collection.

Watch out: Weekday hours (09:00-16:00) are shorter than weekends (08:30-17:00), and puppet-training sessions mostly happen on weekends — a weekday visit means the museum but not the workshop activity.

Practical

Nearby, Wat Phra Non Chakkrasi Worawihan and the Heroes of Khai Bang Rachan monument both sit within Sing Buri and pair easily with a Wat Sawang Arom visit on the same day.