A visit to the 'Temple of Dawn'

By Murli Menon

Traveling to an unknown destination is like solving a cryptic crossword. You crack the simple clues first till you get a few words. After that, you grope in the dark, trying several permutations and combinations till you get a few more words. But after several hours, you begin to wonder, after all this effort, how your crossword will turn out to be? A success or a wasted effort, or you tear the paper in frustration! One is writing this from one’s river-facing suite on the 58th floor of  Hotel Lebua in Bangkok, Thailand.

The view from my room is breathtaking. An eagle’s-eye view of the Chao Phraya River as it winds its way through Bangkok. Hotel Lebua at State Tower is nestled between the 50th and 64th floors of the State Tower, which is one of Bangkok’s tallest buildings. Far in the horizon of Bangkok’s skyline, Lebua steals the show with its golden crown gleaming brighter and taller than the others.

Located a short walk away from Sathorn Pier, Lebua is ideally located to explore the hidden treasures of Bangkok by boat. One walks down to the pier, where one finds the “Chao Phraya River Express” waiting. These boats ply the length of the Chao Phraya River from Sathorn Pier until Nonthaburi. Our destination is the 8th stop along the route, which is named Tha Tien Pier.

One has to alight at Tha Tien Pier and then take the ferry boat that ferries one across the river to the other side. Wat Arun is located here, almost diagonally opposite Tha Tien Pier. Wat Arun is so named, as wat in Thai means temple and Arun means dawn.

Buddha statues in the cloister.

Thus Wat Arun is known as the “Temple of the Dawn”, perhaps so named because the first light of morning is reflected off the surface of the temple with a pearly iridescence. The temple is located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The full name of the temple is Wat “Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahavihara”.

There are a few ancient trees which are worshipped by the locals around this temple. A giant tree greets visitors who alight from the boat and whose trunk is wrapped by colorful ribbons, indicating its sacredness among the devout. This ancient temple is nestled in one of the quietest corners of Bangkok, tucked away from the cacophonous traffic.

One is surrounded by manicured gardens and several trees. The natural beauty of the surroundings is unique. The hum of the flowing river is sweet music to one’s ears. Just outside the main temple is a giant peepal tree, which is worshipped by the locals, who tie colored ribbons on the trunk of the tree symbolizing their reverence and devotion to the forces of nature.

The central prang symbolizes Mount Meru of Indian cosmology. The satellite prangs are devoted to the wind god Phra Phai. The demons at the entrance are from the Ramayana. The white figure is named Sahassa Deja (Yaksha) and the green one is known as Thotsakan (Ravana) from the Ramayana.

The prang and temple buildings are decorated with porcelain shards.

The energy aura surrounding this ancient temple has to be experienced to be believed. It is like stepping back into time, a few centuries in the past. The chirping of the birds, the fluttering of the leaves as the river breeze blows across one’s face, and the grandeur of the temple touch the bottom of one’s heart.

As one moves into the temple, one can see two giant figures outside the main entrance. Despite its name from Aruna, the “God of the Dawn”, the best views of Wat Arun are at sunset. The outstanding feature of Wat Arun is its central prang (a prang is a Khmer-style pagoda), which is about 80 meters tall and symbolizes the legendary Mount Meru, the center of the universe.

Steep steps lead to two terraces on the tower. The corners are surrounded by four smaller satellite prangs, which are dedicated to the wind god Phra Phai. The prangs are decorated with seashells and bits of porcelain which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China.

Around the base of the prang are various figures of ancient Chinese soldiers and animals. Over the second terrace are four statues of the Hindu god Indra riding on Erawan. At the riverside are six pavilions (sala) in Chinese style, made of green granite and containing landing bridges. Next to the prangs is the ordination Hall with the Buddha image supposedly designed by King Rama II. The front entrance has a roof with a central spire, decorated in colored ceramic and stuccowork in colored china.

One can spend hours inside Wat Arun, just soaking in the sacred atmosphere, or meditating under one of the numerous trees that surround the temple while listening to the chirping sounds of birds and the humming sound of the flowing river. One may begin to wonder if such tranquility can be experienced in the middle of a bustling city teeming with millions of residents! But these islands of serenity are what give people an opportunity to relax and forget about their daily tensions and stress.

Just watching life pass by, sitting on the banks of a flowing river, in the shade of a tree, absorbed in the present, is an experience to cherish and treasure. Wat Arun provides the ideal setting for getting away from it all, existing in the middle of one of Asia’s most bustling cities.

The boat cruise itself is relaxing, and it does become difficult to remind oneself that all good things come to an end and it is time to take the ferry back to one’s hotel.

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Murli Menon is the author of ZeNLP books and conducts storytelling workshops based on his works on eschatology. He can be reached at [email protected]

(All photos courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)