Wat Arun
the Temple of Dawn

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn an old Ayutthaya period temple is one of the best known landmarks on the Chao Phraya River; with its towering prang glittering in the sun making it a favourite for the Bangkok temple tours.

The temple has been marked on old French maps since the 17th century. An old French photograph in the mid-19th century depicts the temple with its famous tall prang by the Chao Phraya.

This scene remains unchanged to this day.

Brief history of Wat Arun 

The temple was originally called Wat Makok (makok – wild plum tree) and it was near an old village called Ban Kok (village of wild plums). After the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, King Taksin decided to establish his capital in this area Thonburi on the west bank of the Chao Phraya. 

He arrived in the area in time to catch the majestic sight of the prang in the light of dawn and vowed to restore the temple.

The Temple of Dawn in 2012


King Taksin Shrine in front of the entrance to the prang
View Wat Arun - temple layout in a larger map
Demons at the gate – Sahassadecha (right) and Thossakun (left)

Go through this gate and enter a room leading to another door with murals painted on them.


The passage to the ubosot

This door leads to a quiet courtyard. You will immediately be struck by the serenity in here. All the noise from the river seems to be completely shut off.

The quiet courtyard, the ubosot is the inner courtyard through the door

The ubosot or ordination hall is in an inner courtyard. It has a two-tiered roof with chofars, door frames and colourful porcelain walls lined with gilded borders.

Ubosot or ordination hall

A covered passageway, phra rabiengkote, lines the walls around the ubosot. The passage is lined with 120 Buddha statues in the sitting position.

These statues were cast in the reign of King Rama II. The remains of deceased are kept in cubicles below the statues.

The interior of the ubosot is really beautiful. Colourful murals line the walls from the floor to the ceiling. A lady was seated in one of chairs at the back wall, in deep contemplation. This is just the place for it.

Buddha image in the ubosot, note the murals behind





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Mondop with Buddha’s footprint

A flight of steps leads up to the chamber where a copy of Buddha’s footprint is carved in stone and decorated with porcelain.

Buddha’s footprint carved in stone

The mondop and viharn are near the kuti or monks’ quarters away from the river and the tourists. There’s a beautiful garden in front of the mondop donated by a temple well-wisher and his family.

Garden in front of the mondop

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The famous prang

Hundreds of pieces of porcelain are embedded on the sides giving that glitter in the sun.

The porcelain studded prang

There are four levels to the prang; the first two are relatively easy to climb. The third and fourth levels are reached by steep steps that are almost at a 60 % gradient!

The steep steps up

You will have to pull yourself up with help of the railings. Just imagine you are pulling yourself up a steep slope with the help of a rope. It is definitely worth the effort. The view is beautiful.

View of the Chao Phraya


View of the temple complex

When you are descending don't try to walk down like you are walking down a flight of steps. Go down in reverse and hold the railings to control your descend, like you are going down a steep slope on a rope.

The foundations under the prang are something that is worth a thought.

Old French maps printed in the reign of King Narai (1656 – 1688) show the existence of Wat Arun. This makes the temple at least 500 hundred years old.

Considering the soft silt on the banks of the Chao Phraya, what was used as the foundation to support such a massive structure? 

Monument to King Rama II

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Could the people who built Wat Arun centuries ago have imagined that one day the Temple of Dawn would be such a famous landmark in Bangkok and an enduring icon on the Chao Phraya?

An enduring icon
View Wat Arun - how to get there in a larger map

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How to get there

Take a Chao Phraya river boat from the Sathorn Pier that is below S6 Saphan Taksin Station.

Alight at N8 Tian Pier, the pier near Wat Pho.

Fare is 15 baht for the orange flag boat and 40 baht for the tourist boat.

From Wat Pho take a ferry across to Wat Arun. The ferry pier is just next to the river boat pier. Fare is 3 baht each way.

To return to Bangkok Temples.

Other temples nearby

Wat Prayurawongsawas

Wat Rakhang

My Journey through Thailand Part I The First Steps

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