Wat Arun, or the Temple of Dawn, is a famous Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand, with a distinctive appearance and rich history. The temple is a popular tourist attraction and is known for its porcelain-covered towers and beautiful gardens. The site is also a place of learning and scholarship, with a functioning temple located at the rear of the main complex. Visitors can explore the temple and its many statues and sculptures, and enjoy stunning sunset views.
Wat Arun, also called the Temple of Dawn, is located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Thailand. The temple is a distinctive landmark in Bangkok as well as a functioning Buddhist temple. Wat Arun is used in a large amount of tourist promotional material for the nation of Thailand, and is therefore familiar to many tourists, with the site itself open for visits at set times.
The word wat means school or place of study in Khmer, spoken in Cambodia and parts of Thailand. Many famous temples include the word wat in their names, including the famous Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia. In the Buddhist tradition, temples are places of knowledge and learning, with scholars and libraries centered around the wat. The active temple of Wat Arun is located at the rear of the main temple and includes beautiful gardens and statues similar to those found in the main complex. There has been a temple complex at Wat Arun for hundreds of years.
Wat Arun has a distinctive appearance, with a single tall central tower, or prang, surrounded by four smaller towers. The central tower is 262 meters high and is richly decorated with porcelain discarded by ships that had used the material as ballast. Some critics have argued that Wat Arun is most interesting from a distance, when the individual elements used to build it blend into a uniform form, but the temple grounds are well worth a visit. The porcelain and tile mosaic are also worth a close inspection, as the patterns and ornaments are quite interesting.
Construction on the lawns of Wat Arun began in the early 1800s, with the towers built of stucco-covered brick. Several steps of stairs lead to the terraces surrounding the prangs. It is unclear who introduced the porcelain pieces to Wat Arun, but the temple prangs are covered with them, creating a truly remarkable appearance. Wat Arun’s prangs are supported by fanciful statues of demons and monkeys, used for protection as well as architectural value.
Wat Arun has many beautiful statues and sculptures and was also briefly home to the Emerald Buddha. The temple is easily accessible by boats which will drop off visitors at the edge of the park so they can enter and explore the temple at their leisure. Wat Arun is also a popular spot for sunset photography, as the tower looks stunning when silhouetted against a sunset.
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