Bangkok's Wat Arun stupa to be closed for three years

[webfact]

RENOVATION
Wat Arun stupa to be closed for three years
Pakamard Jaichalard
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- The world-famous Temple of Dawn stupa, known locally as Phra Prang Wat Arun, will be closed for three years starting from next Tuesday to undergo repairs and renovation along with other structures in the temple compound, a deputy abbot said yesterday.

This will be the biggest repair and renovation work on the stupa in the last 14 years. In the past, even while large-scale work was being done, the stupa used to remain open to tourists, said Phra Sakkaya Puttiyawong. The temple is asking the Tourism Authority of Thailand to build a four-metre replica of the stupa for tourists to visit during the three-year closure, he added.

The original tiles covering the 81.85-metre-high stupa, which were set aside during the 1999 renovation, will be used this time. The Department of Fine Arts will carry out the repairs and renovation. They will also carry out an underground exploration of the stupa's foundation to determine its condition, the monk said.

A new model of scaffolding will be erected along the stupa, which will not touch the monument, and thus avoid causing damage, the monk said. The work will be divided into three phases: in 2013 it will cover the southwest and northwest sides of the Phra Prang stupa and also the smaller stupa on the south and west; in 2014-15, work will cover the southeast and northeast of the Phra Prang stupa, and the smaller stupa on the east and north.

Signs will be erected at the site to warn tourists of possible accidents during the closure. Tourists will be allowed to see the stupa from a distance during the three-year period. The stupa will be closed at the auspicious time of 3pm next Tuesday, after a blessing and opening ceremonies for commencement of the work. Somdej Phra Maha Ratcha Mangkhalajarn, the abbot of Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen who is also acting His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch, will preside over both ceremonies.


-- The Nation 2013-09-20

[lee b]

If it needs doing, then it has to be done. But if i was a tourist i would not want to pay money to goto a replica of the wat.

[Curt1591]

They will probably install an escalator!

[bra]

This is my favourite Stupa/Temple in Bangkok - best viewed from the river. Superb style. So I am happy that they are undertaking the restoration and I hope it all goes well.

[Curt1591]

I hope they integrate the railings and wiring into the update.

[Malthus101]

I love Wat Arun from the river but have never been to see it (or any other temple for that matter)

Maybe I should get my ass down there on Monday.

[pacovl46]

If it needs doing, then it has to be done. But if i was a tourist i would not want to pay money to goto a replica of the wat.

I might be wrong, but I thought admission for Wat Arun is free of charge. Besides, if you go there you'll still be able to see the stupa.

[William_R]

If it needs doing, then it has to be done. But if i was a tourist i would not want to pay money to goto a replica of the wat.

I might be wrong, but I thought admission for Wat Arun is free of charge. Besides, if you go there you'll still be able to see the stupa.

I've been to the temple several times over the years. It was 40B and now I think they charge 60. Free for Thai citizens, of course.

[CPT]

"The original tiles covering the 81.85-metre-high stupa, which were set aside during the 1999 renovation, will be used this time."

So what I saw when I went were replacement tiles? How much of the stupa is original? Without the historical value, I have to say it is an astonishingly ugly structure up close compared to most religious monuments here.

[Thai-Aust]

There is no entry fee for Wat Arun.

The first photo shows the staircase which lead you to the highest allowed point possible. You must be fit to climb that high, only 1 person at a time, once you're on the stairs, you can't come back down because the way down is on the other side. If I'm not wrong, there are 3 stages before reaching to the top. At each retreat you can walk around and view a beautiful Chao Phraya river.

Tiles on photo 6 display the King Rama II and King Rama III interest in Chinese culture, they are mainly made of broken/unbroken Chinese bowls.

[CPT]

There is no entry fee for Wat Arun.

The first photo shows the staircase which lead you to the highest allowed point possible. You must be fit to climb that high, only 1 person at a time, once you're on the stairs, you can't come back down because the way down is on the other side. If I'm not wrong, there are 3 stages before reaching to the top. At each retreat you can walk around and view a beautiful Chao Phraya river.

Tiles on photo 6 display the King Rama II and King Rama III interest in Chinese culture, they are mainly made of broken/unbroken Chinese bowls.

There is indeed a fee for foreigners though I am not sure if it is for the whole compound or just the main stupa. I bekieve it is 50 baht and the ticket booth is to your left if you are looking at the stupa from the riverside area. No one checks the tickets and there are no gates so it may be the case that some just miss it.

[hempa]

Lucky that I was on that couple a years ago.

[webfact]

Thailand's Temple of Dawn to get $4 mn makeover

BANGKOK, September 20, 2013 (AFP) - Thailand's iconic "Temple of Dawn" on the banks of Bangkok's Chao Phraya river is to undergo a three-year renovation costing around $4 million, authorities said Friday.

Wat Arun, one of the kingdom's most famous landmarks, known for the morning light reflecting off its porcelain-encrusted surfaces, will remain open to visitors during the overhaul, according to officials.

"We will not close it all. The repairs will start in some parts only," a senior monk at the temple, Phra Sri Suthi Wethee, told AFP.

"Tourists can still come. We haven't closed the big stupa yet."

Work on the central tower -- built in the first half of the 19th century -- will start in 2015, according to Tharapong Srisuchat, a senior official at the Ministry of Culture.

"We cannot put all the scaffolding up at the same time or tourists will be disappointed," he said.

Tharapong estimated that it will take about a year to renovate the Khmer-style central stupa.

The budget for the project, which will start this month, is 130 million baht ($4.2 million), he added.

"The maintenance cycle is usually 25-30 years but it's shortening because of increased pollution and more severe changes in the weather," Tharapong said.

He said the work at the temple -- which was last renovated in 1996 -- would include repairing cracks, removing mould and replacing damaged tiles.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-09-20

[William_R]

There is no entry fee for Wat Arun.

The first photo shows the staircase which lead you to the highest allowed point possible. You must be fit to climb that high, only 1 person at a time, once you're on the stairs, you can't come back down because the way down is on the other side. If I'm not wrong, there are 3 stages before reaching to the top. At each retreat you can walk around and view a beautiful Chao Phraya river.

Tiles on photo 6 display the King Rama II and King Rama III interest in Chinese culture, they are mainly made of broken/unbroken Chinese bowls.

There is indeed a fee for foreigners though I am not sure if it is for the whole compound or just the main stupa. I bekieve it is 50 baht and the ticket booth is to your left if you are looking at the stupa from the riverside area. No one checks the tickets and there are no gates so it may be the case that some just miss it.

I just did a quick Google search and there are plenty of tourist web sites stating the fee is 50B for foreigners.

[Bpuumike]

There is no entry fee for Wat Arun.

The first photo shows the staircase which lead you to the highest allowed point possible. You must be fit to climb that high, only 1 person at a time, once you're on the stairs, you can't come back down because the way down is on the other side. If I'm not wrong, there are 3 stages before reaching to the top. At each retreat you can walk around and view a beautiful Chao Phraya river.

Tiles on photo 6 display the King Rama II and King Rama III interest in Chinese culture, they are mainly made of broken/unbroken Chinese bowls.

There is indeed a fee for foreigners though I am not sure if it is for the whole compound or just the main stupa. I bekieve it is 50 baht and the ticket booth is to your left if you are looking at the stupa from the riverside area. No one checks the tickets and there are no gates so it may be the case that some just miss it.

Free for farang if you show a Thai driving licence.

[Shaksey]

Got directed here from another post that was opened today and closed by admin.

It was open to climb up as high as you can go today. Took some friends who enjoyed the visit very much. Two of the smaller stupas behind the main one have some scaff on currently.

As of today it is still very much worth going if you're on the tourist trail.

Edit - And it was indeed 50B for the entry and 3B for the ferry e/w..

Edited October 15, 2013 by Shaksey