Professor Dr Cholada Ruengruglikit
Special Instructor in Department of Thai, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University
This paper aims at studying the fighter image of Princess Chantara Kirana, the heroine of Panji Misarang or The Story of Panji Misarang, one of the Thai Panji stories written by Princess Chalerm Khet Mongkhon in 1952. In the story, Princess Chantara Kirana fights for survival, for justice and for honour and dignity, appearing as both a male and female in her fight. It can be said that Princess Chantara Kirana is a real warrior heroine since she fights without any help from her celestial ancestors, as in other Thai Panji Stories. This image is markedly different from that of Inao in the version written by King Rama II, the most well-known version among Thai Panji Stories.
(Presented in the 2019 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum : Panji/Inao – Preserving and Reviving the Shared Heritage of Southeast Asia, 20 June 2019, W Bangkok Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Department of Thai, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University)