The temple appears to have had a very modest-sized prang during its early days, thought to be less than two metres high, and construction of its present structure began only in the time of Rama II, who passed away when it was still in the foundation stage. Rama III completed construction, and although there is some dispute as to how high the prang actually is, the generally accepted figure is 67 metres (219 ft), with a circumference around the base of 234 metres (767 ft). Whatever the height, it is the highest prang in Thailand. A prang symbolises Mount Meru, the mountain that stands in the middle of Hindu-Buddhist cosmology, and in the case of Wat Arun it rises from the fabulous region of Himavant, which is covered in forests and lakes and is the home of sages, imps, demons and dragons, represented here by carved and moulded figures against a background of porcelain flowers and leaves. The main prang is called the phra prang, and there are four smaller prangs at the base, known as prang thit, symbolising the four continents and housing statues of the gods within alcoves. The phra prang has four terraces, and four mondops, or pavilions bearing images, are located on the second terrace.
There are sixteen structures of importance within this large site, which covers thirteen acres, and many of them have been built or changed during successive reigns. The wiharn was built in the reign of Rama I, and rebuilt in the reigns of both Rama II and III. Inside the wiharn is the principal Buddha image, brought from Vientiane in 1858 and named Phra Arun. The ubosot dates from the time of Rama II and is distinctive with its yellow and green tiled roofs, with the eight metal statues of elephants near the entrance having been cast in 1846. Seated inside the peripheral gallery are 120 Buddha images, and there are 144 stone lions, 112 soldiers, and 16 noble-men, all Chinese in style. The eight boundary markers, the sema, are housed in marble porches and intricately carved. There are six riverside pavilions, all Chinese in style, built from green sandstone and dating from the reign of Rama III, and the mondop housing the Buddha footprint also dates from this period and was designed with a Chinese-style roof.
Those in search of history rather than symbolism should visit the old ubosot, which dates back to the earliest days of the temple and is located in front of the prang. The Siam Chronicles record that King Taksin lived in this ordination hall for a brief period before his execution, and his bedstead, a modest teak slab, can be seen there today. Near to the old ordination hall is the original chapel, dating back to the same era. Near here is a gilded statue of Nai Raung, a monk who burned himself to death in 1790 in front of the sermon hall, promising that if he achieved Nirvana, he would make a nearby lotus bloom. The lotus duly bloomed and when the monk was properly cremated his ashes turned green, white, yellow and purple. The ashes were kept in the hall for sermons. Another pavilion honours in a similar way Nai Nok, a monk who burned himself to death in 1861 in front of the old ordination hall. A small area in the garden, under a bodhi tree, has become a shrine with decapitated figures placed here in commemoration of the death of King Taksin.
There is a strong Chinese influence in the architecture of Wat Arun, vying with the Khmer influence, the mingling of Hindu and Buddhist symbolism, and Siamese tradition and identity. China had played a significant role in supporting Taksin’s campaigns against the Burmese and in establishing his kingdom, and he was greatly in debt to the Chinese at the time of his death. During the reigns of Rama I, II and III, almost all of Siam’s trade was with China, reaching its peak under Rama III, whose enthusiasm manifested itself in Chinese styling for many of the temples he built or restored. Chinese junks shipping out of Siam loaded with rice or timber would need to be loaded with bulk goods to act as ballast when they returned, and much of this was crockery, porcelain and rock and stone carvings. Although largely foundation and building material, a useful commodity in muddy delta country, some of it would have been good quality and delivered for a specific purpose. The phra prang of Wat Arun is studded with porcelain, a mixture of Chinese and Siamese, which catches the light and causes the structure to glitter, and craftsmen have fashioned porcelain flowers and leaves. The stone figures in and around the temple structures and in the garden are often beautifully carved and provide a valuable insight as to how the Chinese looked and dressed at that time, and there are also depictions of other races, such as the European sailors and soldiers that can be seen in the gardens.
The little paved lane that runs behind Wat Arun, Wang Derm Road, is one of the most pleasant thoroughfares in Bangkok, with the temple wall on one side and old houses with eating places and cafés on the other and in the small sois that lead through to Arun Amarin Road. Walk the few metres back to the beginning of Taksin’s moat, pass under the bridge, follow the footpath along Bangkok Yai canal, and another ancient community will be revealed.
As we have seen on the other side of the canal, there has been a Muslim community on this part of Klong Bangkok Yai since before the Thonburi period. They were Cham Muslims, coming from parts of what are now Cambodia and Vietnam, and they arrived in the first half of the sixteenth century as labourers to help with the river works that eased navigation along the Chao Phraya, and as mercenaries to fight in the war against Burma that saw the first siege of Ayutthaya in 1548. Some of the Cham who helped dig the canal that led to the creation of the Bangkok Yai and Noi canals stayed on the bank of the Yai. They were certainly at Thonburi during the reign of King Songtham (1611–1628), as a surviving record written on a palm leaf notes a soldier named Jiam attempting to send a set of garments to his father on the Bangkok Yai canal. Another record notes the construction of a mosque in 1688, during King Narai’s reign, by a Siamese Muslim of Persian lineage named Okya Rajavangsansenee, who was a commander in charge of the 400 French-led mercenaries hired by Narai to man Wichaiprasit Fort, largely comprising North Africans, presumably Muslims.
There had also been Cham Muslims living in Ayutthaya, where they made their homes on rafts on the waterways and worked as farmers, boat builders and traders. When Ayutthaya fell and Thonburi was founded, they sailed their rafts down the river and joined the existing community. So large did the Cham community become that they occupied both banks of the canal, with mosques on both sides. Tonson Mosque, here on the north bank, is the oldest mosque in Bangkok, while Kudi Khao on the south bank dates from the time of Rama I.
Tonson Mosque was originally a teak structure raised on a platform and roofed with terracotta tiles. In style it followed the Siamese pattern. In 1827, in the reign of Rama II, the mosque was rebuilt as a brick structure, again following the Siamese style and with elaborate mouldings on its stucco-clad gables. By the middle of the twentieth century this building had deteriorated so badly it was completely rebuilt, being finished in 1954, this time as a reinforced concrete structure with a traditional Islamic dome. The arched mihrab, the pavilion indicating the direction of Mecca, carries an engraved teak tablet that is believed to have come from a mosque in Ayutthaya, and which displays burn marks. A century-old copy of the Koran has been written in very fine script using either a fish bone or rice husk, and is contained in a decorated teak box with mother-of-pearl inlay. A prominent feature is a suspended lamp that has a square brass lampshade inlaid on all sides with green