Tourists being photographed at Wat Arun (Thai: วัดอรุณ, Temple of the Dawn,) Bangkok Thailand.
Tourists being photographed at the base of Wat Arun (Thai: วัดอรุณ, Temple of the Dawn, perhaps so named because the first light of morning is reflected off the surface of the temple with a pearly irridescence) is a buddhist temple (wat) in Bangkok, Thailand. The temple is located in the Bangkok Yai district, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The full name of the temple is Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahavihara. Photographed from above from a birds eye view looking down from top of Wat Arun temple was built in the days of Thailand's ancient capital of Ayutthaya and originally known as Wat Makok (The Olive Temple). In the ensuing era when Thonburi was capital, King Taksin changed the name to Wat Chaeng. The Wat had a brief period as host of the Emerald Buddha, which was moved to Wat Phra Kaew in 1784. The later King Rama II. changed the name to Wat Arunratchatharam. He restored the temple and enlarged the central prang. The work was finished by King Rama III. King Rama IV gave the temple the present name Wat Arunratchawararam. As a sign of changing times, Wat Arun officially ordained its first westerner in 2005. Sean Patrick from America. The central prang is symbolizing mount Meru of the Indian cosmology. The satellite prangs are devoted to the wind god Phra Phai. The demons (Thai: Yaksha) at the entrance way to the ubosot are from the Ramakien. The white figure is named Sahassa Deja and the green one is known as Thotsakan, the Demon Rāvana from Ramayana.
Size: 5400px × 3600px
Location: No. 34, Arun Amarin Road, Kwang Wat Arun, Khet Bangkok Yai, Bangkok, Thailand
Photo credit: © Simon Bolton / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: arun, arunratchawararam, bangkok, bank, central, chao, district, feature, full, located, outstanding, phraya, prang, ratchaworamahavihara., river., temple, , wat, west, yai
