It was a magnificent experience exploring Wat Po or what is more popularly known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.  To the people of Thailand, it is known by its complete name which is Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan.  It is accessible from any hotel in Thailand like  All Seasons Bangkok Huamark Hotel.  Of course, we relished every minute that we spent in the temple that housed the famous Reclining Buddha – one of the biggest in Thailand given that it measures a total forty-six meters long and fifteen meters high.  Some parts of its body were even made of intricately designed Mother of Pearl. Now that was really amazing! We even got to drop coins in little pots and made silent wishes to boot.

We left the Temple of the Reclining Buddha so that we can still visit the last temple in our itinerary.  Our tour guide brought us back to the Maharaj Pier so that we can catch a boat that would help us cross the river.  This was a different boat and not the Chao Phraya Express Boats that we rode earlier when we first arrived at the Maharaj Pier.

It was a very short ride to the Thonburi side of the river.  In no time at all we found ourselves at the famous Wat Arun or what is known to so many as the Temple of Dawn. Its complete name is Wat Arunratchawararam and used to be called Wat Jaeng. It is considered as one of the most recognizable landmarks and tourist attractions in Bangkok.  Picture books or travel books on Thailand will never be complete without including a write up or exceptional photos of the The Temple of Dawn.

There are a lot of ways to get to this tourist attraction.  Just like what we did, visitors can take the river and ride a boat at the Tha Tien Express boat pier.  This pier is located at the southwest corner of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew.  Boats depart from the pier within an interval of only a few minutes.  Commuters can ride the Chao Phraya River Express boats and just get off at the Tha Tien Express boat pier or simply ride a cab.  There are also public buses that travel on this route like bus numbers 1, 25, 44, 47, 62, and 91.

Our guide willingly shared that Wat Arun was built during the time when Ayutthaya was still the capital of Thailand.  It was still called Wat Makok or Olive Temple then.  King Taksin, during his time, changed its name from Wat Mokok to Wat Chaeng. It was King Rama II who decided to renovate the temple and enlarged the main prang but it was King Rama IV who gave Wat Arun its full name.

The most notable symbol of the Temple of Dawn would have to be the colossal prang (Khmer style tower) that is further surrounded by four prangs that are a bit smaller in size.  Based on the travel brochure that our guide gave us, the main prang of Wat Arun measures 80 meters high.  It is massive and lovingly decorated with tiny porcelain pieces that were said to be used by the boats that sailed from China to Bangkok.  Our guide also reminded us that Wat Arun also briefly served as a temporary shelter for the Emerald Buddha (which is now protected at Wat Phra Kaew).

Walking and exploring the temple grounds was a bit relaxing given that we were there at a time when the sun was about to go down and was no longer scorching our skin.  We were fascinated with the different images that we saw during our leisurely walk.  There were pretty murals and an eye-catching Buddha image that was said to be designed by King Rama II himself.  There were also images of supposedly mythical guardians within the temple grounds.  Those who are agile enough can go up the steep stairs of the main prang and have a good view of the entire Chao Phraya river.

Wat Arun got its name from Aruna, the Indian god of Dawn.  Even if this is so, a lot of locals would tell visitors that it is best to visit Wat Arun not at the break of dawn but late in the afternoon or in the evening to watch the sun setting behind the main prang.  The silhouette is said to be breathtaking and one that can win photo contests.
Of course, images such as that of the Temple of Dawn during sunset must not only remain in photos that will be discarded or kept hidden in dust collecting photo albums.  My partner and I believe that it better to keep those images etched in one’s heart where it will be cherished and will never be forgotten.

HELPFUL INFORMATION:
Address:  Wang Doem, Bangkok Yai, Bangkok, Thailand
Contact Number:  +66 2465 5640
Operating Hours:  9:00 am to 5:30pm
Entrance Fee: 20 Baht
Ferry Ride to Wat Arun: 2 Baht

Posted in Attractions, Thailand

This entry was posted on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 11:00 am and is filed under Attractions, Thailand. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.