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Khrut Hern Het (Garuda Gliding the Air) and

Khrut Tret Traichak (Garuda Wandering the Three Worlds)

Garuda is a divine bird, associated with the god Vishnu. Garuda is
the chief of all the birds and a formidable foe of nagas because of
their mothers’ conflict. Thus, he always appears in paintings and
sculptures in the manner of holding one or several nagas as he flies
through the air, either in his beak or in his hands.

The figurehead of Khrut Hern Het features a red garuda holding
two nagas in his hands, carved, gilded and decorated with mirrored
glass. The figurehead of Khrut Tret Traichak depicts a pink Garuda
holding two nagas, ornamented with the same techniques.

The two barges were originally built in the reign of His Majesty King
Buddha Yodfa Chulalok The Great but were badly damaged by aerial
bombing during the Second World War. They were rebuilt using the
old figureheads by the Fine Arts Department and the Royal Thai
Navy in 1967.

The length of Khrut Hern Het is 28.58 metres and the width at the
beam is 2.10 metres. The depth of its hull is 56 centimetres. The length
of Khrut Tret Traichak is 28.72 metres while its width at the beam is
2.08 metres. The depth of the hull is 55 centimetres.

Each barge is manned by one officer, two steersmen, 34 oarsmen,
one standard bearer, one signalman and two station markers.

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