Much that 'glitters and shines' in Bangkok is on the east bank of the Chao Phraya river. But the striking tower of the Wat Arun temple begs to differ. More massive in its drama, and more intricate in its style, than many of Bangkok's wats (temples), its huge central tower rises 76 metres above the western side of the river, dominating the skyline, and lighting up at dawn. Hence its name – Aruna is the Hindu god of the dawn.
And although this temple is a Buddhist icon – it once housed one of the most sacred Buddha images, the Emerald Buddha, now in Wat Phra Kaew – it looks like a something straight out of India, with its five Dravidian-style prangs (towers). It is decorated with a mosaic of fine Chinese porcelain, while the central prang is said to represent Mount Meru, the mythic centre of the universe for Hindus. You can't dispute that Thailand's Buddhism is an open church.
The temple of Wat Arun is actually built on the site of an older shrine, which originally housed the Emerald Buddha after it was taken from Vientiane. The legend has it that the powerful King Taskin – the king just before the Chakri dynasty was founded in the late 18th century – passed the temple at dawn, and was impressed with how it caught the light. He vowed to rebuild it in a more splendid form, but it was King Rama II who completed the work in the middle of the 19th century.
The temple entrance is guarded by a pair of giant demons. You then take the steep steps up the central prang to the first platform. This is the Traiphum, representing all realms of existence. The next level, or Tavatimsa, holds up four statues of the Hindu god Indira. It represents the spiritual level, where all desires are gratified. And the highest level is the Devaphum, topped by the seven-pronged Trident of Shiva, representing six heavens and seven realms of happiness.
Sadly you can't climb all the way to that pinnacle. But the best views to be had are from below, when the sun is rising, and the tile-covered Wat Arun glows with first light. Or at dusk, when the reddening sky casts the bold drama of Wat Arun into a smoky silhouette.
