Wat Arun
The Temple of Dawn on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya, known for its porcelain-covered central prang and a place on UNESCO's Tentative List.
The riverside prang that outlasted two capitals
Wat Arun Ratchawararam stands on the west, Thonburi, bank of the Chao Phraya in Bangkok Yai district, directly across the river from Wat Pho. A temple has been on the site since the Ayutthaya period, when it was known by an older name. TAT says it was originally Wat Chaeng, a name UNESCO's tentative-list entry also gives as Wat Jaeng, and that King Taksin made Thonburi his capital. The temple's story is tied to the Emerald Buddha. It is recorded as having housed the image after it was brought from Vientiane, until the image moved to the new royal chapel in 1785. A major renovation followed under Rama II, and the great prang was built under Rama III and finished under Rama IV. The Tourism Authority of Thailand cites a height of 82 metres. The name comes from the Hindu deity Aruna, often personified as the rays of the rising sun, which is how the temple became known in English as the Temple of Dawn. In design, the central spire is described as Khmer in style and is read as a representation of Mount Meru, with four smaller prangs at its corners. In 2025 the central prang was placed on UNESCO's Tentative List under the title Phra Prang of Wat Arun Ratchawararam: The Masterpiece of Krung Rattanakosin, with a submission date of 9 April 2025. That is a preparatory step; the temple is not a World Heritage Site.
Explore Wat Arun on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What to see
The prang is the headline; the details are in its surface and its guardians.
The great prang
- The central spire, covered in colourful porcelain and topped with a seven-pronged trident, with four smaller prangs at its corners.
- The decoration includes shells and fragments of porcelain that had been carried as ballast on boats from China.
- The Mount Meru reading: the central prang is understood to represent Mount Meru of Hindu cosmology, and its levels are read in Buddhist iconography as symbolic realms.
Guardians and halls
- Yaksha guardian figures at the ordination hall, taken from the Ramakien. One is identified as Thotsakan, the Ramakien's Ravana.
The river setting
- The temple faces Wat Pho across the Chao Phraya, and the two are often seen as a pair on either side of the river.
- At the Kathina ceremony the king travels to Wat Arun by royal barge procession to present new robes to the monks.
Getting there
The temple is on the Thonburi side, so the river is part of any route from the old city.
Where it is
- It is on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, in Bangkok Yai district, opposite Wat Pho.
- Wat Pho and the Grand Palace are on Rattanakosin Island on the east bank; how to cross is not covered here.
Weather at Wat Arun
From the Thai Meteorological Department 1991-2020 normals for the Bangkok Metropolis station.
What the numbers show
- At the Bangkok Metropolis station, September (about 336 mm) and October (about 289 mm) are the wettest months, with around 21 and 17 rainy days respectively.
- December (about 12 mm) and February (about 21 mm) are the driest months.
- Mean maximum temperature is highest in April at 35.7 C and lowest in December at 32.3 C.
What nobody tells you
A few facts that change how you read the building.
Good to know
- Much of the porcelain on the prang is recycled shipping ballast rather than tile made for the purpose.
- A 2013-2017 restoration replaced earlier cement with lime plaster. Some critics said the result looked whitewashed, while the Fine Arts Department defended it as faithful to the original.
Close by
Across the river on Rattanakosin Island.
Frequently asked
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