History of Wat Arun

One of the most beautiful temples to explore in Bangkok. Wat Arun is close to my location. I am located in Silom and I have the metro right next to it. From there I can easily get to the historic city center of the city. The historic city center being a part little served by the BTS metro system. However, it is possible to take the metro and easily walk to many of the main attractions. Wat Arun is located on the other side of the river, so you just have to cross with shuttle boats that cross the river for a few cents.

Wat Arun was envisioned by King Taksin in 1768. It’s believed that after fighting his way out of Ayutthaya, which was taken over by a Burmese army at the time, he arrived at this temple just as dawn was breaking. He later had the temple renovated and renamed it Wat Chaeng, the Temple of the Dawn. It used to be the home of the Emerald Buddha before the capital and Palace was moved to the other side of the river. This can now be seen at the Grand Palace.

The central prang was extended during the reign of Rama III (between 1824 and 1851) and is now one of the most visited sites in Thailand. It was also Rama III who added the decoration of the spires with porcelain so that they glimmer in the sunshine.

After this history, it is in my opinion I think one of the best temples in Bangkok. There is also a very nice view from above. Maybe a little less known because it is located on the outer shore, it is without a doubt one of the best temple in bangkok. Entrance for 100 baths for foreigners.