In Thailand (formerly Siam), there was evidence that the Thai had played Sepak Takraw since the Ayutthaya Kingdom, at least during the reign of King Naresuan (1590–1605). A French historian, François Henri Turpin, wrote about how the Siamese played the game of takraw to stay in shape. Murals at Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaeo which was built in 1785, depict the Hindu god Hanuman playing sepak takraw in a ring with a troop of monkeys. The game was played in its circle form for hundreds of years, and the modern version of "sepak takraw" began taking shape in Thailand sometime during the early 1740s. In 1929 the Siam Sports Association drafted the first rules for takraw competition. Four years later, the association introduced the volleyball-style net and held the first public contest. Within just a few years, takraw was introduced to the curriculum in Siamese schools. The game became such a cherished local custom that another exhibition of volleyball-style takraw was staged to celebrate the kingdom's first constitution in 1933, the year after Thailand abolished absolute monarchy.