Wat Arun – Temple of Dawn

We visited Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, in Bangkok, Thailand, in the Spring of 2016. Unlike our visit in 2013, the temple was covered this time in scaffolding for renovations.

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Wat Arun viewed from the Chao Phraya river

Wat Arun is recognizable by its central prang (tower) in the Khmer style.

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Central Prang of Wat Arun

Visitors can climb a long way up the side of the prang using three staircases, each steeper than the last. The two photos below show the second (middle) staircase.

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Climbing Wat Arun
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Climbing Wat Arun

Wat Arun’s central prang is encrusted with fanciful floral and religious motifs.  Demons are featured at the lower level. We could not climb high enough to see angels.

The floral decoration is created from seashells and recycled porcelain. The larger image below clearly shows re-purposed plates.

With luck, the scaffolding will be removed and the renovation completed by the time we visit again.

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