Image number: 07THI-020_Wat-Arun_Bangkok

Wat Arun (or Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahavihara, "the Temple of the Dawn") is a buddhist temple (wat) on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. The prang (Khmer-style tower) symbolizes Mount Meru of the Indian cosmology, and the side prangs honor the wind god Phra Phai. They were started by Rama II in the early 1800's and completed by Rama III. The surrounding temple (originally known as Wat Makok, the Olive Temple) is much older, dating from the Ayuthaya period (1350 to 1767). The temple served as part of the palace of King Taksin, who reigned over Siam from 1768 to 1782 (just before the founding of Bangkok).