Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge (, , ; usually shortened to "Makkhawan Bridge") is a historic bridge in inner

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. The bridge spans

Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem (, ) is a canal (''khlong'') in Bangkok. It was dug in 1851 in order to serve as a new outer moat for the expanding city, extending its boundaries from the Rattanakosin Island to the north and east. History When the cit ...

(Phadung Krung Kasem canal) on

Ratchadamnoen avenue Ratchadamnoen Avenue (, , , also spelled Rajdamnern) is a historic road in the Phra Nakhon and Pom Prap Sattru Phai with Dusit Districts of Bangkok, Thailand. Ratchadamnoen Avenue may be the most politically charged thoroughfare in the capita ...

(section outer Ratchadamnoen) at the

tripoint A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...

between Bang Khun Phrom sub-district, Phra Nakhon district and Wat Sommanat sub-district, Pom Prap Sattru Phai district with

Dusit Dusit () is the Thai name for Tushita, the fourth heavenly realm in Buddhist cosmology. The name may refer to: * Dusit District, a district of Bangkok * Dusit Palace, namesake of the district *Dusit Subdistrict, Bangkok, in Dusit District * Dusit S ...

sub-district,

district. It is near to the offices of the United Nations in Thailand, Rajadamnern Boxing Stadium, Wat Sommanas Rajavaravihara, Wat Makutkasattriyaram and

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

. It also serves as a

four-way intersection An intersection or an at-grade junction is a junction where two or more roads converge, diverge, meet or cross at the same height, as opposed to an interchange, which uses bridges or tunnels to separate different roads. Major intersections are ...

of Ratchadamnoen, Krung Kasem and Luk Luang roads. The bridge is one of five built across Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem during the reign of King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...

(Rama V). It was designed by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

architect

Carlo Allegri Carlo Allegri (1862–1938) was an Italian engineer who worked extensively in Siam (Thailand) during the turn of the 19th–20th centuries. He served under the government of Chulalongkorn, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) for over 20 years, where he h ...

using the patterns of

and

Spanish architecture Spanish architecture refers to architecture in any area of what is now Spain, and by Spanish architects worldwide, influencing mainly areas of what was once part of the Spanish Empire. The term includes buildings which were constructed within t ...

. The prototype was from

Pont Alexandre III The Pont Alexandre III () is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Construction took a total of three years. The bridge has a beautiful Erawan (

Airavata Shachi.html" ;"title="Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi">Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi riding the five-headed Divine Elephant Airavata, Folio from a Jain text, Panch Kalyanaka (Five Auspicious Events in the Life of Jina Rishabhanatha), c. 1670� ...

) steel frame and four marble lampposts and is considered is one of the most beautiful bridges in Bangkok. It was inaugurated on Sunday, November 1, 1903, by His Majesty King

(Rama V). All five extant bridges built to cross the Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem were constructed during the same period. They each have rhyming names, that mean "bridge built by the deities". The term "Makkhawan Rangsan" translates as ''"the bridge that Makkhawan (

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

) was the creator"''. King Chulalongkorn originally intended to name it "Makkhawan Rangrak" (มัฆวานรังรักษ์). In 1994, two more bridges were added to increase the traffic lanes under a royal project of King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej, his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any List of Thai mo ...

(Rama IX). During the political unrest between 2010 and 2014 the bridge was used as a venue for several political demonstrations as were other landmarks on Ratchadamnoen avenue, such as

Democracy Monument The Democracy Monument () is a public monument in the city center of Bangkok, capital of Thailand. It occupies a traffic circle on the wide east–west Ratchadamnoen Avenue, at the intersection of Dinso Road. The monument is roughly halfway betw ...

Phan Fa Lilat Bridge Phan Fa Lilat Bridge (, , ; lit: 'bridge on which the ruler of heaven proceeds', refers to "King's Cross Bridge"; usually shortened to "Phan Fa Bridge") is a historic bridge across Khlong Bang Lamphu (Bang Lamphu canal) on Ratchadamnoen Avenue ...

and

Khok Wua Intersection Khok Wua (, ) is an intersection in Bangkok. It is a four-way crossroads of Ratchadamnoen (section middle Ratchadamnoen) and Tanao roads in area of Bowon Niwet and Talat Yot sub-districts, Phra Nakhon district within Rattanakosin Island. Th ...

References

{{commons category, Saphan Makkhawan Rangsan, Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge Phra Nakhon district Road junctions in Bangkok Bridges in Bangkok Dusit district Pom Prap Sattru Phai district Bridges completed in 1903 Registered ancient monuments in Bangkok

See also

References