Adventures at Wat Arun: Meeting Demons and a King

Seeing Wat Arun from the Chao Phraya River express boat brought excitement to my heart. I can finally climb up its tower and say to my friends that I visited a prime tourist spot in Bangkok.

I only expected to see Wat Arun, climb its steep steps, and then leave. I didn't know that I had to pass between two giants, look the Chinese lions at the eyes, or even see a king standing under the sun.

Our adventure began the moment we passed through the gates of Wat Arun. Giants greeted me from afar.

I had no idea who these giants are during that time. With my little knowledge of the Thai culture, I know that these are demons posted to guard a Buddhist temple. The building behind the giants is not Wat Arun nor even a temple. It is just a hallway to the Ubosot of Wat Arun. The ubosot is the most important building in a Buddhist temple complex.*

The hallway to the ubosot is not an important structure yet the builders of Wat Arun also made it beautiful. Its roof is adorned with inticate design of lotus flowers.

The two giants guarding the Wat Arun have an interesting story. They are the villain of the epic Ramakien, which is the Thai version of the Hindu myth of Ramayana. The green giant is called Indrajit and the white one is called Sahatsadecha.

Indrajit and Sahatsadecha

I find it weird that the demons of the Hindu myth are guarding the entrance to the most important Buddhist place. Is it their punishment? Or does Indrajit and Sahatsadecha went over to Buddhism since they were the villains in Hinduism?

Thai culture is a great hotpot. The mixture is very evident at Wat Arun. The two giant statues came from Hinduism. Wat Arun was built to honor Buddha. Then I also saw some elements from the Chinese culture like the Chinese lanterns and the Chinese lions.

The Chinese elements are very familiar since the the Chinese culture are well ingrained in the Filipino culture. Our ancestors had traded with the Chinese for hundreds of years. The Binondo Chinatown in Manila is the oldest Chinatown in the world! Even some elements of the Chinese culture can be seen at our churches like the Chinese lions in front of San Agustin Church.

The pose of these Chinese lions are very similar as those in front of San Agustin.

One of the peculiar character of the Thai is their reverence of the royalty, including those who are long gone. In the many places that I've been in Thailand, I saw the statues of their kings and local heroes bedecked with garlands and burning incense. An example would be the statue of King Rama VI at the entrance to Lumphini Park.

A well-adorned king, or rather statue of a king, can also be found at Wat Arun. It is the statue of King Rama II. The king restored Wat Arun so it is fitting that his monument was placed here.*

There are many things that can be done at Wat Arun. There are souvenir shops, food shops and other shops. But the most most interesting shop is the one where you can rent a set of Thai national costume and have your photo taken.

Foong and I were not silly enough to try wearing those things. But I bet girls will look like a Thai princess if they wear those and have Wat Arun as the background of their photos. :-)

The grounds of Wat Arun was interesting enough but the real deal is waiting for us. We will be visiting the main attraction soon, that if we defeated the two demon guards and their lion pets.

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*Wat Arun page of Tour Bangkok Legacies.