Wat Arun under scaffolding for years of renovation
If you want to visit the famous Wat Arun, the temple of the Dawn, in Bangkok soon, you should be quick. After this weekend, the stupa of the Wat will be off limits to all tourists.
Wat Arun is a Buddhist temple complex named after the god Aruna (god of the dawn). The complex was built under Rama I and Rama II. The Wat Arun has a central large pagoda (prang) that is 79 meters high, built according to Khmer architecture. Around it are four smaller pagodas and four mondops. The temple complex of Wat Arun is completely covered with shards of Chinese porcelain. The porcelain was brought along from China as ballast by the then King Rama 1 during the trade of spices, among other things. He eventually had his temple decorated.
From Tuesday 24 September, major renovations will start, which will probably take three years. The almost 82 meters high temple will then be largely covered by scaffolding. The work will first take place on the southwest and northwest sides of the stupa. Then the other parts come into play. The renovations only concern the large central stupa followed by the renovation of several smaller ones.
Most photos of Wat Arun are taken from the northeast side. For the time being, that side will still be visible, so it is still possible to photograph the temple from the Chao Phraya River.
The rest of the temple complex will be open and accessible as normal.
Source: Thai Travel News
Wat Arun and the Chao Phraya river