Lakhon nai ( th, ละครใน, ) is a Thai performing art originating in the royal court of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

(formerly Siam). It features slow choreography accompanied by a

piphat A ''piphat'' is a kind of ensemble in the classical music of Thailand, which features wind and percussion instruments. It is considered the primary form of ensemble for the interpretation of the most sacred and "high-class" compositions of the ...

ensemble. The repertoire of lakhon nai consists of only four epics; the

Ramakian The ( th, รามเกียรติ์, , ; ; sometimes also spelled ) is one of Thailand's national epics, derived from the Buddhist Dasaratha Jataka. Fundamentally, it is a Thai version of the Hindu epic Ramayana. Ramakien is an importa ...

, Unarut (

Aniruddha Aniruddha ( sa, अनिरुद्ध ') is a character in Hindu mythology, the son of Pradyumna and Rukmavati, and the grandson of Krishna and Rukmini. He is said to have been very much like his grandfather, to the extent that he is con ...

), Inao ( Panji), and Dalang (a greater version of Inao). A variation of this genre with male performers is called ''lakhon nai phu chai'' ( th, ละครในผู้ชาย; ).

Etymology

''Lakhon nai'' is believed to be a contraction of ''lakhon nang nai'' (ละครนางใน), or 'theatre of the women of the palace'. It was also known as ''lakhon khang nai'' (ละครข้างใน, literally, 'theatre of the inner court') and ''lakhon nai phra ratchathan'' (ละครในพระราชฐาน, literally, 'theatre of elonging tothe king').

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lakhon Nai Thai dance Thai culture th:ละคร#ละครใน