Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), Bangkok 
The magnificent Wat Arun as seen from the river. Photo by mykaul.
Wat Arun at sunset. Photo by Hartfried Schmid.
View of Wat Arun and its main stairway. Photos by Daniel Cheong.
The central stairway to the terrace. Photo by Yogesh Rao.
Figures on the central prang. Photo by Sivakumar Thyagarajan.
Details of exquisite decoration on the chedi. Photos by Patrick Toutain.
Wat Arun at sunset. Photo by Trey Ratcliff.
Roofline of a temple building at Wat Arun. Photo by Daniel Cheong.
Wat Arun ("Temple of the Dawn") is a Buddhist temple and major landmark on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.
Wat Arun was built in the days of Thailand's ancient capital of Ayutthaya, and was originally known as Wat Makok ("Olive Temple").
In the ensuring era when Thonburi was capital, King Taksin changed the name to Wat Chaeng. Wat Arun briefly hosted the revered Emerald Buddha after it was recaptured from Laos, but it was moved to Wat Phra Kaew in 1784.
King Rama II enlarged the central prang and changed the temple's name to Wat Arunratchatharam. The work was finished by King Rama III, and King Rama IV gave the temple its current name of Wat Arunratchawararam.
Despite its name (from Aruna, the Hindu god of the dawn), the best views of Wat Arun are at sunset rather than the dawn, and there are restaurants and coffee shops across the river that make fine viewpoints.
The outstanding feature of Wat Arun is its central prang (a prang is a Khmer-style pagoda), which is about 80 meters tall and symbolizes the legendary Mount Meru, center of the universe. Steep steps lead to two terraces on the tower.
The corners are surrounded by four smaller satellite prangs, which are dedicated to the wind god Phra Phai. The prangs are decorated by seashells and bits of porcelain which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China.
Around the base of the prang are various figures of ancient Chinese soldiers and animals. Over the second terrace are four statues of the Hindu god Indra riding on Erawan.
At the riverside are six pavilions (sala) in Chinese style, made of green granite and contain landing bridges.
Next to the prangs is the Ordination Hall with the Niramitr Buddha image supposedly designed by King Rama II. The front entrance of the Ordination Hall has a roof with a central spire, decorated in coloured ceramic and stuccowork sheated in colored china.
There are two temple guardian figures in front. Characters from the Hindu epic Ramayana, the white figure is named Sahassateja and the green one is known as Tasakanth.
| Names: | Wat Arunratchawararam; Wat Arun; Temple of the Dawn; Wat Makok ("Olive Temple") |
| Type of site: | Buddhist temple |
| Date: | Ayutthaya era |
| Location: | West bank, Bangkok, Thailand |
| Phone: | 2465-5640 |
| Bus: | 19, 57, or 83 |
| Ferry: | Tha Tien Pier to Wat Arun Pier |
| Hours: | Daily 7:30am-5:30pm |
| Cost: | 20 Bht |
Map
Location map and satellite view of Wat Arun. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Bangkok Map or get our free Google Earth download.
Sources
- Frommer's Thailand, 6th edition
- Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn - Into Asia
- Wat Arun or Wat Arunratchawararam - Bangkok Thailand Travel Guide
- Wat Arun - Thailand Guidebook
- Bangkok: Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) - Virtual Tourist user reviews
- Wat Arun - IgoUgo user reviews
