Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn in Bangkok
The Symbol of Bangkok Sits on the Banks of the Chao Phraya River
Nov 2, 2008
Wat Arun, or the Temple of Dawn, is one of the few temples in the city that predate the Chakri royal family now on Thailand's throne. It was built when Thailand was rule from the city of Ayutthaya, to the north of Bangkok. The image of the temple's 260 foot prang at sunset has become almost an iconic symbol for Thailand.
Temple Architecture
The temple is built on an architectural pattern that symbolically reproduces Mount Meru, sacred mountain in Hindu mythology that both Hindus and Buddhists think of as the center of the universe. Images of the Hindu gods of the four directions sit at the four corners of the prang. Six green granite pavilions stand at the river bank on the temple grounds to welcome visitors.
The temple's Khmer-styled prang is decorated with bits of Chinese porcelain that trading ships from China used as ballast on their way to Thailand. Once the ships arrived in Thailand the porcelain was discarded and their holds filled instead with Thai goods to take back to China. The broken pieces of porcelain give the prang a shimmering look in sunlight.
Temple History
The temple was built during the period of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1376-1767) in Thailand, but the royal family came to rule from Bangkok. King Rama II (reigned 1809-1824) added to the temple and increased the height of the temple's prang (the Khmer-style elongated chedi). King Rama IV (1851-68) later renamed the temple Wat Arun; Rama IV (Mongkut) had been a monk at the temple.
The Wat was home to the Emerald Buddha for a brief period. The Emerald Buddha was moved to Wat Phra Kaew in 1784.
Getting to the Temple
Most of Bangkok's attractions are on the east side of the Chao Phraya. Because of Wat Arun's location on the west bank of the river, the most common way to reach the temple is by ferry. The Tha Tien express boat pier, at the southwest corner of Bangkok's Grand Palace, sits right across from Wat Arun and boats leave several times an hour for the temple.
Ferry usually cost 2 Baht. Entrance to the Wat Arun is 30 Baht for foreigners (Thai citizens get in free). The temple opens at 8:30am and closes at 5:30pm.
Ironically, Wat Arun is more impressive at sunset than at dawn and the best pictures of the Wat are generally taken then.
Other attractions in the general area of Wat Arun include Wat Pho, Wat Phra Kaew, the National Museum, Chinatown, the Ko Rattanakosin area, and the Banglamphu district.
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