1902: A Bridge Named in Memory of Siamese Royalty is Inaugurated in Bangkok

January 16, 1902

A newly completed bridge in Bangkok, the capital of the Southeast Asian country known at the time as Siam, was formally opened. (Siam was the official name of present-day Thailand until 1939 and then between 1946 and 1948.) Construction of the bridge was commissioned in 1901 by Valaya Alongkorn (1884-1938), a princess of Siam and daughter of Chulalongkorn (1853-1910). Chulalongkorn (titled Rama V) reigned as king of Siam from 1868 until his death.

In commissioning the construction of the bridge, Princess Valaya Alongkorn sought to have it built as a tribute to her deceased brothers Maha Vajirunhis (1878-1895) and Sommatiwongse Varodoya (1882-1899). Both of these Siamese princes died during their teenage years.

When the bridge in their memory was completed, Rama V named it “Chamai Maru Chet.” This phrase, which is derived from a combination of Khmer and Thai words, means “two deceased brothers who became deities.”

Camai Maru Chet Bridge carries Phitsanulok Road across Khlong Prem Prachakon, a type of canal that first went into service in 1872. Along with having four lanes for motor vehicles, this bridge also contains footpaths for pedestrians.

Photo Credit: CKasa (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

For more information on Camai Maru Chet Bridge, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamai_Maru_Chet_Bridge