Temple of Dawn

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, is a Buddhist temple located at the Thonburi district of Bangkok.

The temple, named after the Indian god of dawn Aruna, sits adjacent to the Chao Praya river, and is one of the well known temples of Thailand.

Built in 1809, the wat has a central Khmer-style tower called prang, and is surrounded by four smaller phrangs. All towers were decorated with seashells and bits of porcelain that reflect light during sunrise.

The temple was built by King Rama II, whose ashes were buried in the base of a Buddha statue presiding over the temple.

We stopped over at the Wat Arun during our second day in Bangkok, a trip that took us to several temples around the city (more on that in the next posts).

How to Get There: Wat Arun is located at the Thonburi district of Bangkok. It is accessible through the boats that ply along the Chao Praya river. The Chao Praya River tourist boat, which starts at Sathorn pier (near the Saphan Takhsin station of the Bangkok BTS) is the best bet. Get off at N8 Tien station, then take another boat across the river to reach Wat Arun. The tourist boat sells an all day pass for 150 baht, and the boat trip from N8 to Wat Arun costs 3 baht. There are no entrance fees to the temple.

pics, from top: Wat Arun; climbing the steps of the 282-foot tall central prang; Chao Praya river and the Bangkok skyline as seem from the top of the temple; statues and the tower of the temple adorned with seashells and bits of porcelain