Deep within the heart of Bangkok, a silent sentinel stands guard. It is Inthararangsarn Fort, a vestige of a time when the city’s boundaries were defined by moats and walls. Inthararangsarn Fort is one of fourteen forts built by King Rama I in 1782. These forts, along with a 7.2-kilometer wall and 63 gates, protected the newly established capital of Rattanakosin. Inthararangsarn Fort specifically stood between Phra Athit and Phra Sumen Forts, part of a network designed to repel invasions, especially from the Burmese. Though the Burmese threat eventually subsided, Inthararangsarn Fort remained, a testament to a bygone era. Sadly, modernization swept through Bangkok. By the 1920s, most of the original forts and walls were demolished. Inthararangsarn Fort was among those lost to the city’s expansion. Only a few of its contemporaries survived. Phra Sumen and Mahakan Forts were preserved by the Royal Society, recognized for their historical significance. They offer a glimpse into the city’s fortified past, a past shared with the vanished Inthararangsarn Fort.
Garuda Museum
Behold the Garuda, a four-meter sculpture spreading its wings. This is the entrance to Southeast Asia’s one and only Garuda