Symbolic Meaning in the Design of the Prang of Wat Arun Rajwararam
The main prang symbolizes Mount Meru, while the structure adorned with the sculpture of Indra riding the Erawan elephant represents the heavenly realm of the Tusita. The five peaks of the prang represent the “Vimān of Indra,” the abode of Indra. The topmost point of the prang is decorated with a golden crown, which is a significant characteristic of the prang of Wat Arun Rajwararam. Scholars have analyzed its meaning in two ways: as the mythical symbol of the deity or divine sovereignty of the monarch and as an expression of the Bodhisattva’s or Dharma King’s status of the monarch. The base of the prang is layered and adorned with images of deities bearing swords and giants, symbolizing the demons and deities guarding the mountain. The directional prangs represent the four continents or the Sattabhūmi, while the mandapas signify the heavenly abode of the Four Guardian Kings.
Before the four Buddha images representing birth, enlightenment, the first sermon, and Nirvana were enshrined from the surrounding cloister during the restoration of Wat Arun Rajwararam in the reign of King Rama V (Department of Fine Arts, 2019), the courtyard around the prang symbolizes the ocean. The four cornerstone platforms represent the four continents, based on evidence that there were once ornamental pots representing the trees of the four continents. The cloister (the nine-room sala) was once part of the cloister surrounding the prang before it was transformed into a metal fence during the reign of King Rama V, symbolizing the boundary of the universe.
