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Author: Eric Lim Article source: http://www.tour-bangkok-legacies.com/. Used with author's permission.
The Bangkok forts were constructed after King Rama I
established Bangkok as the new capital 1782. With the
destruction of Ayutthaya by the Burmese in 1767 still fresh on
his mind, security was a critical condition.
The new capital, though in a far more defensible position than
the previous capitals, Thonburi, Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, had
to be reinforced.
The defense of Rattanakosin rested on four elements: the Chao
Phraya River, a major water obstacle; the canal rings which
created a defensive belt of moats; the city walls and the
Bangkok forts.
Lod Canal was already in existence, dug during the reign of
King Taksin (1767 - 1782) when the capital was still in
Thonburi. The canal was renamed Asadang Canal in 1982,
after Prince Asadang, a son of King Chulalongkorn or King
Rama V.
With the Chao Phraya River on the west and Lod Canal to the
east, a second canal ring was dug in 1785 by 10,000 Khmer
prisoners of war. This canal stretched from Banglampu in the
north to the present Phra Pok Klao Bridge in the south and
turned the old city into an island - Rattanakosin Island.
The second canal ring was called Rob Krung (around the city).
Today, this canal is called Banglampu Canal in the north and
Ong-Ang Canal in the south.
A protective wall was erected along the canal. Fourteen
Bangkok forts and observation towers along the Chao Phraya
River and the Rob Krung Canal reinforced the city defenses.
Unfortunately all that remains today are two forts, a section of
the old city wall and an old gateway.
Of the two Bangkok forts that remain today, the first is Fort
Phra Sumen to the north at the confluence of the Chao Phraya
River and Banglampu Canal.
The second fort is Fort Mahakarn covering the Rob Krung
Canal to the east, near Wat Saket the Temple on the Golden
Mount. About 200 m of the old city wall along Maha Chai
Road is still standing today and so is the old gateway.
From 1851 - 54, during the reign of King Rama IV, the third
canal ring was built. This was the Padung Krung Kasem
Canal, the longest of the three canal rings, stretching from
Thewet in the north, past Hua Lam Pong Station to Bangrak in
the south. This time, Chinese laborers dug the canal.
During the reign of the King Rama I, threats of invasion were
still strong. The Bangkok forts and the canals provided the
protection and security for the survival of the new capital,
which has transformed to a modern metropolis today.
Find out what's behind the old wall at Fort
Mahakarn the living legacy. Bangkok Forts first appeared in Tour Bangkok
Legacies a historical travel site on people, places and
events that shaped the landscape of Bangkok. The author Eric
Lim, a free-lance writer, lives in Bangkok Thailand.
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