Wat Arun Bangkok

• Wat Arun [ the Temple of Dawn ] is a riverside Temple on the West side of the Chao Phraya River almost opposite Wat Po on the East side. It is constructed of brick on the place where General Taksin [ later King Taksin ] and his surviving army landed after the sacking of Ayutthaya.
• The Central Prang is 79 meters high [ 259 feet ] and is cornered by four smaller prangs. All of these are encrusted with porcelain and ceramic pieces to form motives, usually of flowers, mythical animals and figures.
• Construction was commenced under Rama II whose bronze statue stands just to the north of the Temple on the River embankment.
• The design style is Ayutthaya, which also follows traditional Khmer and ultimately Hindu concepts. The Central Prang symbolizes ancient Mount Meru and the steepness and consequential difficulty in climbing its steps is intended to illustrate the difficulty in life of attaining closeness to the realm of the Gods.
• The use of ceramics and porcelain is intended to make the Temple glisten in the sun, especially at dawn in the early mornings, at sunset and at moonlight. For sightseeing and photography it is best approached by boat across the Chao Phraya River.
• The four smaller and corner Prangs contain statues of the God Phra Pai, the God of wind. It is on the Thon Buri side of the river in what was originally the walled city of Thon Buri.

Apart from the architecture of Wat Arun there are interesting objects of religious and artistic interest.

• At the top of the central Prang is a seven pronged metal trident to emulate the Trident or ''Trishula '' of Shiva. The symbol is a Buddhist - Hindhu religious symbol and is common in Southeast Asia. The word is a translation of ''three spear '' in Sanskrit and Pali. '' The trishula is wielded by the Hindu God Shiva and is said to have been used to sever the original head of Ganesha. The three points have various meanings and significance, and, common to Hindu religion, have many stories behind them. They are commonly said to represent various trinities—creation, maintenance and destruction, past, present and future. When looked upon as a weapon of Shiva, the trishula is said to destroy the three worlds: the physical world, the world of the forefathers, representing culture drawn from the past and the world of the mind, representing the processes of sensing and acting. The three worlds are supposed to be destroyed by Shiva into a single non-dual plane of existence, that is bliss alone.''
• Another feature are the stone figures of ancient Chinese soldiers and animals. These are located at the base of the central prang.
• On the second terrace are statues of the Hindhu God Indra riding the mythical elephant, Erawan.
• Riverside below are six green granite Chinese style pavilions which are called ''Salas'' in Thai.
• To the north of the Prangs is an Ordination Hall with two Demons standing guard at the front entrance. Here the front entrance has a central spire decorated with colored ceramic and stucco work covered in colored china.
• Access to climb the central prang is on the riverside. However it is very steep and whilst the views from the higher levels are good, it is dangerous for older unfit tourists.