WAT ARUN

Description

Essentials about Wat Arun in brief

Located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, the Buddhist temple Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) is one of the most popular sights of Bangkok and should definitely be on the visit program during a trip to the capital of Thailand. Its huge towers, its very well preserved buildings and the delicate craftsmanship of the entire complex make Wat Arun a real eye-catcher and a real beauty. Many voices claim that Wat Arun is the most beautiful Buddhist temple in the world. During the day, Wat Arun shines in all its glory. At sunset and at night when it is illuminated, the temple is even more beautiful. It is best to sit down in a bar or restaurant on the other side of the river and enjoy this magnificent sight.

The history of Wat Arun

Wat Arun has a long history. Built already during the Ayutthaya period, the temple was originally called Wat Makok (Olive Temple). When, after the fall of Ayutthaya, Thonburi on the west side of the Chao Phraya River became the capital of the new Siamese Empire, King Taksin built his palace on the site of the old Fort Wichayen in 1768 and integrated the temple into his new palace grounds. In the process, the king changed the name from Wat Makok to Wat Chaeng.

During the reign of King Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I). the crown prince – the future Rama II – restored the temple Wat Chaeng by raising the then only 16 meters high Prang to its present size, worthy of a grandiose capital. As King Phutthaloetla Naphalai (Rama II), he gave the temple the name Wat Arunratchatharam. The rebuilding of the temple complex was not completed until the reign of King Nang Klao (Rama III).

The buildings of Wat Arun

The temple tower Phra Prang

The center and main attraction of Wat Arun is the central temple tower (Phra Prang), which is over 70 meters high. Four steep staircases on the four sides connect a total of four levels on which the Phra Prang can be circled.

On the lowest level there are four smaller prang at the four corners of the square ground plan. They are dedicated to the wind god Phra Phai, whose statue sitting on a white horse looks out of small alcoves in all four directions. The stairways are each flanked by oversized stone statues of Chinese warriors.

The second level is supported by demons (yakshas). Here, on the four sides, are four portal-like mondops (a cube-shaped building) depicting important stages in the life of the Buddha such as his birth and enlightenment. Between these levels are arranged small niches in which Kinnari figures (mythological creatures – half man, half bird) are depicted.

The third level is supported by monkeys, characters from the Ramakien epic. Here, too, there are niches with kinnari figures.

Finally, the fourth and top level is supported by devatas, celestial beings. Above the stairs on all four sides are small alcoves with statues of the Hindu god Indra, the ruler of the Tavatimsa heaven. He rides his traditional mount, the three-headed elephant Erawan. The top of the tower is supported by figures of the god Vishnu riding the mystical bird Garuda.

At the top of the tower, as is traditional for a prang, is a vajra, the “weapon of Indra,” which in turn is crowned by a golden crown. The entire complex is covered with a mosaic of colorful Chinese porcelain and shells, about a million pieces in all, arranged into floral patterns.

The Wihan Noi and the Bot Noi

Directly east of the Phra Prang are two smaller buildings, the Wihan Noi (little Wihan) and the Bot Noi (little Ubosot). Both are connected by a small archway, which is the entrance for tourists to the main sight. The two buildings date back to the Ayutthaya period.

The ordination hall Ubosot

The entrance portal to the ordination hall (ubosot) of Wat Arun is located north of the temple towers. The ubosot is surrounded by a walkway. It was built of bricks during the reign of King Phutthaloetla (Rama II), and the roof is covered with green and orange ceramic tiles. The magnificent top of the ubosot is decorated with colored ceramics and stucco. In the gallery, rows of Buddha statues sit in front of painted walls. Pairs of bronze elephants stand in front of the entrances to the courtyard. In the marble-tiled courtyard are numerous stone sculptures of warriors and noblewomen, sages and Singhas (mythological lions), and children with domestic animals of Chinese origin. They were brought from China to Siam over 100 years ago as ballast in the merchant ships.

The ordination hall stands symmetrically in the middle of the courtyard. Between the two eastern and western entrances of the ubosot, a standing Buddha statue in “royal regalia” is displayed in its own alcove. The interior walls of the ordination hall are painted with murals depicting stories from the last ten lives of the Buddha. The main Buddha statue in the ubosot is depicted in the hand posture “Submission of Mara”. According to legend, King Phutthaloetla (Rama II) sculpted it with his own hands. The ashes of the king are kept in its pedestal.

The Wihan

West of the Phra Prang and south of the ordination hall is a wihan (a Buddhist monastic building) built in the style of the Thonburi period. The exterior walls are covered with colored tiles, and the roof is also covered with green and orange ceramic tiles. Inside is a Buddha statue made of gilded copper from the reign of King Nang Klao (Rama III), in whose chest a relic of the Buddha was reportedly found in 1953. It has probably the longest name of a Buddha statue in Thailand: Phra Phuttha Champhunut Mahaburutlakkhana Asitayanubopit. Also housed in this wihan for five years was the Emerald Buddha, captured in Vientiane in 1779. King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) had Wat Phra Kaeo built for him on the opposite bank, where he was taken in 1784.

Other buildings

Between the wihan and the ambulatory of the ordination hall there is an airy mondop. Its white outer walls are covered with a floral pattern. Inside is a footprint of the Buddha. North of the mondop are two three-story bell towers symmetrical to the wihan.

And last but not least, east of the Phra Prang on the river stand six pavilions in Chinese style. The pavilions are made of green granite and have landing stages facing the river.