Wat Arun and views of Bangkok, 1932

Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.

From Guide to Bangkok, with notes on Siam by Major Erik Seidenfaden, 1932.

On the west-bank of the Menani and on the banks of the numerous canals that intersect the “hinterland” of Dhonburi, are found a great number of beautiful and interesting temples of which, however, only a few can be mentioned here. The most important of all is Wat Chang or Arun, which signifies “the Temple of Dawn.” It lies on the river bank just opposite Wat Po. On the site of the present temple stood in King Tak Sin’s time an old wat which was repaired by that monarch; but the construction of the five tall “phra prang” or towers was first undertaken during the reigns of Rama II and Rama III.

This temple, which is of quite a unique design, is one of the most conspicuous and pretty landmarks of the capital and whether seen by day in the glare of a blazing sun or by night in the light of a brilliant moon it is always of a most striking and picturesque aspect. The chief attraction is, of course, the group of the five phra prang which are built on a terrace, four of the towers standing each in its corner of the terrace, while in the centre soars up against the sky the fifth and tallest of them fully 74 metres in height.

The towers rise on a series of basements consisting of rows of demons or devatas which act as atlantes. The four faces of the towers are provided with niches which, in the case of the smaller ones, contain figures of the moon god mounted on a white horse, while in the niches of the central tower, one sees the green figure of the God Indra, King of the Gods seated on Airavata, his three-headed elephant. These niches are preceded by small porches surmounted by small phra phrang, and the summits of all five towers are crowned with the flashing trichula of the god Shiva. Stone staircases lead up to the lower terrace on which stand the four smaller prang and the four pavilions that flank the latter.

The pavilions shelter images representing the four chief episodes of the life of buddha. In the northern is seen Queen Maya standing under the tree where she gave birth to the little prince Siddharta; two princesses kneel in front of her ready to receive the noble child (which however, is not represented). In the eastern pavilion one sees the Master seated on the coils of the seven-headed naga, king of the serpents, after having attained Buddhahood. In the southern pavilion Buddha is seen preaching the law to the five rishi or hermits, his first converts: and finally in the western pavilion we have Buddha entering Nirvana surrounded by his sorrow-stricken disciples.

Steep flights of stone steps lead up on all four sides of the central tower to a kind of balcony. Again a ladder of steel wire leads up to the niche on the eastern face of the prang, Tourists who are not safe from attacks of dizziness are recommended not to make this climb. From the balcony one has a very fine view over the river and over most of the capital on both sides of the Menam. Towards the east one sees the Grand Palace with its white walls and its glittering and flashing spires, among the latter the shining upper part of the golden chedi, while just opposite flash out the gilt gables of Wat Po. Behind these are seen the tall structures and coloured roofs of Wat Sudat and farther away again the tree-clad, chedi crowned mass of Pu Khao Tong, while still farther away in the horizon looms up the dome of the Throne Hall. Of the town itself not much is seen, half hidden as it is under the luxuriant foliage of the green trees, from which here and there peeps out the spire of a white chedi or a red temple roof or perhaps a tall smoking chimney, the latter indicating that notwithstanding all the picturesqueness the living and toiling city is there all right.

Far below the river winds its broad sheet of brownish water on which lie anchored a line of Siamese gun-boats and torpedo craft, while busy snorting tugs rush up and down the river, sometimes towing along rows of empty paddy boats heading for the rice growing districts, or full-loaded paddy boats and smaller craft are seen proceeding down by sail or by oar. Indeed the river here presents a scene of never ending commotion and life which is quite fascinating. The eye follows the great river from the bend to the north of the grand palace and down to the district of Sampeng where it disappears in a big curve towards south and west. Looking to the south one sees, near the temple, the roofs of the Hydrographical Department, then the old fort with the Royal Naval College and next the beautiful Wat Kalaya with its colossal roofs.

Behind these are the tower of the church of Santa Cruz and the prang of Wat Pijaiyat, while far away in the southern horizon beyond the emerald greenery of Dhonburi's garden land are seen the rows of smoking chimneys of the rice mills and sawmills lying at the lower bend of the river in the districts of Bangkolem and Bukalo, where we find the real commercial port of Bangkok with its wharves, godowns and fleet of incoming and outgoing steamers. To the west one looks over the roofs of the vihara, the Bôt and cloister buildings of the temple, to a mass of feathered palms which close the horizon in this direction. Finally to the north one has the Marine Depot with its busy dockyard, the white prang of Wat Rakhang and the Bangkok Noi district with its railway station.

The towers of Wat Arun are built of bricks covered with plaster in which are encrusted thousands of bits of glazed tiles. Seen nearby this kind of decoration may look sordid, but when viewed from a distance the towers look as though they were carved out of a grey rock inlaid with thousands of precious stones. Certainly this pile is a triumph of decorative skill. The farther away the better it looks and, when the rays of the rising sun strike the towers, they emit flashes and sparks as if they were really encrusted with the choicest jewels. Or again at sunset when the fiery ball of the king of the day disappears behind the tall leafy trees which form a frame around the towers and temple buildings, then the five prang stand out against a scarlet background, a background which slowly changes its colour to rosy tints and then to mauve, until finally the black shadows of the night envelope the whole fabric.

Indeed a more wonderful or impressive picture than this can hardly be imagined. Or again on the nights when the rays of a brilliant full moon stream down the silvery like pinnacles and play on the ornamentations of the towers, then you imagine that you are looking upon some fairy castle taken straight from the tales of the Arabian Nights. When most of the many beautiful impressions from this temple-city have faded one of the last to persist will be the memory of this picturesque and graceful Temple.

Seidenfaden, Erik, Guide to Bangkok, with notes on Siam, The Royal State Railways of Siam, 1932.

Erik Seidenfaden

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