Nagaraphirom Park - Wat Arun Stock Photography

The temple is probably best known for its Khmer-style prang (‘pagoda’), which is decorated with shells and pieces of porcelain, which had once been used as ballast by boats visiting Bangkok from China. Situated on the opposite side of the river from the park, the shells and porcelain create a shiny iridescence as the sun rises in the morning and it's this impressive phenomenon that explains the origins of the name, ‘The Temple of Dawn’.