Rajadamnern Muay Thai Stadium

This guide to Rajadamnern Muay Thai Stadium in Bangkok opens on its opening night, December 23, 1945, when a wartime commission from Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram finally welcomed its first crowd. It follows the stadium's unusual circular ring, and the ritual that precedes every bout there: fighters in blessed mongkhon headbands moving through the Wai Kru Ram Muay, a sequence with roots in Ayutthaya-era soldiers preparing for combat. Listen for the piphat band's oboe and drum as the ritual begins, and watch how a fighter's whole posture changes.