Temple Of Dawn
Wat Arun
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Wat Arun, the Temple Of Dawn, sits on the west bank of the Mae Nam Chao Phraya. There has been a Buddhist temple on the site since at least the early 1600’s. From the upper terraces of the steep central spire one can see bustling river traffic, the Grand Palace, Wat Po, and the modern skyscrapers of metropolitan Bangkok.
Wat Arun is said to be one of the three most important temples in Bangkok. The temple is ‘guarded’ by rows of warriors and animals covered in pieces of colorful ceramic.
Chinese trading ships used broken ceramic as ballast for the ocean voyage to Bangkok. Laden with Thai goods on the outbound trip they left the unneeded pieces behind.