Qualla: Wat Arun

Wat Arun: Introduction

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jean pierre Grosset, CC BY-SA 4.0. King Taksin was running out of country. In 1767, Burmese armies had destroyed Ayutthaya, the Siamese capital, and Taksin -- a military commander who would soon declare himself king -- was leading his forces south along the Chao Phraya River. At dawn, his boats passed a small temple on the western bank called Wat Makok. The rising sun hit the tower, and Taksin, so the story goes, took it as a sign. He established his new capital of Thonburi on this stretch of river and made the temple his royal chapel, renaming it Wat Chaeng -- the Temple of Dawn. The name eventually became Wat Arun, after Aruna, the Hindu god who personifies the first light of morning.

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Image: Jean pierre Grosset | CC BY-SA 4.0

Wat Arun: From Refuge to Royal Chapel

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Z3144228, CC BY-SA 4.0. A temple had stood on the site since at least the late sixteenth century, but it had no particular significance until Taksin arrived. After establishing Thonburi as his capital, he housed the Emerald Buddha at Wat Arun -- the sacred image he had brought from Vientiane in Laos. Fo...

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Image: Z3144228 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Wat Arun: Porcelain from the Bilge

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand, CC BY 2.0. The central prang -- the Khmer-style tower that dominates the temple -- was largely the work of Rama II and Rama III. Rama II ordered the restoration of the temple and began plans to raise the main pagoda to approximately 70 meters. Construction commenced under Rama III and was c...

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Image: Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand | CC BY 2.0

Wat Arun: Three Realms in Stone

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Pattiveth.M, CC BY-SA 4.0. The central prang carries three levels of Buddhist meaning. The base represents Traiphum, encompassing all realms of existence. The middle section symbolizes Tavatimsa, the Tusita Heaven where all desires find satisfaction. The peak denotes Devaphum, the six heavens within seven ...

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Image: Pattiveth.M | CC BY-SA 4.0

Wat Arun: Dawn and Dusk on the Chao Phraya

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Mastertongapollo, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wat Arun is named for dawn, but the temple is arguably more beautiful at sunset. Standing on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya, looking west, the prang catches the last light and glows amber against the darkening sky -- the porcelain fragments that looked merely decorative at n...

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Image: Mastertongapollo | CC BY-SA 4.0