Nai Thong Kaew (นายทองแก้ว)

Thai. ‘Mr. Golden Glass’ or ‘Mr. Crystal Gold’. Name of one of the eleven heroic leaders who in 1767, at the end of the Ayutthaya period, fought the invading Burmese in defence of the Bang Rajan fort in Singburi (fig.). He lived in Meuang Wisetchaichan (วิเศษชัยชาญ) which was attacked, captured and destroyed by the Burmese, prompting Nai Thong Kaew and the other inhabitants to spilt up and escape to different villages, fleeing the same time as Nai Dok, who lived in the same village. Nai Thong Kaew, together with Nai Choht (นายโชติ), Nai Thong Hmen, and Nai Dok, led some 200 warriors across a canal to attack the enemy in the back. As a result, the Burmese were defeated and their General Surin Chokhong was killed. In iconography, he is usually depicted holding a sword. 回