In the Ayutthaya Period, this insignificantly small temple was called Wat Makok. In the Thon Buri Period, it became important because King Taksin appointed it as the palace temple to enshrine the Emerald Buddha. The king also renamed it Wat Chaeng (meaning the Temple of the Dawn).
In the Second Reign, the king has the prang enlarged as the city?s relics stupa. The construction however, was completed in the Fourth Reign. Rama IV renamed it Wat Arun Ratchawararam.
Thed newly-renovated presiding prang is 70 meters high. The base is large and high, with 3 tiers. The prang cluster had been designed to represent the traditional universe structure, with the stupa as Mt. Meru, the center of the universe where the god Indra resided. The four satellite stupas represent the four main continent. Each stupa is elaborately decorated with colorful chinaware fragments in magnificent floral designs.
Notable for its beauty as the nation?s best, the presiding stupa also carries an intriguing message. The spire is decked with a real gold crown (?mongkut? in Thai). Not many people knew the message behind this. Legend had it that Rama III took the crown from Wat Nang Nong to put atop this steeple to denote the idea that Prince Mongkut should be the rightful heir to the throne.
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