| Wat
Arun Temple (18th century onward)
other
sites in Bangkok |
Bangkok, Thailand |
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image
adapted from Architecture of Siam: A Cultural History and Interpretation,
by Clarence Aasen, c. 1998
Wat Arun is one of the few Bangkok temples predating the Chakri dynasty, the current rulers of Thailand. When general Phya Taksin crowned himself king in 1769, he moved the capital across the Chao Phraya river to Thonburi. Wat Makok temple fell within the area intended for the king's new palace along the riverbank. The young king designated it the royal temple and changed its name to Wat Jaeng—the Temple of Dawn, a name thought to commemorate the founding of the new dynasty. King Taksin treated the monks badly, expelling them so that he could worship privately in the temple.
Monks were allowed to return during the rule of Rama I, the first King of the Chakri dynasty, who disestablished Wat Jaeng as the royal temple when he moved the capital across the river to what it today downtown Bangkok. His successor, Rama II, renamed it Wat Arun Rajtharam and renovated the temple. He planned to raise the central spire (called a prang) beyond its original 16 meters, but he died before the project was realized. His successor, Rama III, completed the project in the years 1842-1847. The prang was raised to an astonishing 67 meters, making it the highest one in Thailand even today.
The temple is an architectural reproduction of Mount Meru, the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology. The four corner prang, which house images of the guardian gods of the four directions, reinforce the symbolism.
Bibliography:
Aasen, Clarence. Architecture of Siam: A Cultural History and
Interpretation
Oxford University Press. Oxford. 1998
Cummings, Joe. Thailand
Lonely Planet Publications. Singapore. 1990
Suksri, Naengnoi. Palaces of Bangkok: Royal Residences of the
Chakri Dynasty
Thames and Hudson Ltd. London. 1996.
All images copyright 2000-2001 by Professor Yunsheng Huang