Wat Arun

This light-and-sound presentation focuses on the history of one of Bangkok's most famous landmarks, Wat Arun, which was named after the Indian God of Dawn, Aruna. The temple features a porcelain-encrusted, 79-meter central pagoda, Phra Prang, that sparkles in the sun. It also has four towers symbolizing Mount Meru, the terrestrial representation of the 33 heavens. King Taksin selected it as a royal temple in 1767 as it was the first place in Thonburi to catch the early morning light. It housed the Emerald Buddha after it was recaptured from Laos and before it was moved to Wat Phra Kaeo in 1875.

This temple (also called Temple of the Dawn) is on the west side of the Chao Praya River, and the best place to photograph it is from the opposite side of the river since it is so tall.

This temple is considered to be the most famous and photographed temple in Bangkok, with a 250-foot-high tower decorated with thousands of tiny pieces of colored glass and Chinese porcelain. The best place to view/photograph Wat Arun is from the opposite side of the river. (It is located on the west side of the Chao Praya River while Wat Pho and the Grand Palace are on the east side of the Chao Praya.)