Wat means temple. Arun is the god of dawn. King Taksin established this as the new capital of Siam in 1767. This temple has bits of porcelain used in it's design. The porcelain came to Thailand as ballast in Chinese merchant ships.

"The central prang (tower)has three symbolic levels. The base stands for Traiphum, all realms of existence in the Buddhist universe; the middle section represents the Tavatimsa, where all desires are gratified; the top denotes Devaphum, the six heavens within seven realms of happiness." (Top 10 Bangkok, Eyewitness Travel) It was a steep climb to the top.