Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan or Wat Arun Temple of Dawn. This is a Buddhist temple (In Thai wat) in Yai district of Bangkok, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The temple derives its name from the Hindu god Aruna, often personified as the radiations of the rising sun. The first light of the morning reflects off the surface of the temple with pearly iridescence. Although the temple had existed since at least the seventeenth century, its distinctive spires were built in the early nineteenth century during the reign of King Rama II.