Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There is a strong Chinese influence in the architecture of Wat Arun, vying with the
Khmer influence, the mingling of Hindu and Buddhist symbolism, and Siamese tradition
and identity. China had played a significant role in supporting Taksin's campaigns against
the Burmese and in establishing his kingdom, and he was greatly in debt to the Chinese
at the time of his death. During the reigns of Rama I , II and III , almost all of Siam's trade
was with China, reaching its peak under Rama III , whose enthusiasm manifested itself
in Chinese styling for many of the temples he built or restored. Chinese junks shipping
out of Siam loaded with rice or timber would need to be loaded with bulk goods to act
as ballast when they returned, and much of this was crockery, porcelain and rock and
stone carvings. Although largely foundation and building material, a useful commodity in
muddy delta country, some of it would have been good quality and delivered for a specific
purpose. he phraprang of Wat Arun is studded with porcelain, a mixture of Chinese and
Siamese, which catches the light and causes the structure to glitter, and craftsmen have
fashioned porcelain flowers and leaves. The stone figures in and around the temple struc-
tures and in the garden are often beautifully carved and provide a valuable insight as to
how the Chinese looked and dressed at that time, and there are also depictions of other
races, such as the European sailors and soldiers that can be seen in the gardens.
The little paved lane that runs behind Wat Arun, Wang Derm Road, is one of the
most pleasant thoroughfares in Bangkok, with the temple wall on one side and old houses
with eating places and cafés on the other and in the small sois that lead through to Arun
Amarin Road. Walk the few metres back to the beginning of Taksin's moat, pass under the
bridge, follow the footpath along Bangkok Yai canal, and another ancient community will
be revealed.
As we have seen on the other side of the canal, there has been a Muslim community
on this part of Klong Bangkok Yai since before the Thonburi period. They were Cham
Muslims, coming from parts of what are now Cambodia and Vietnam, and they arrived in
the first half of the sixteenth century as labourers to help with the river works that eased
navigation along the Chao Phraya, and as mercenaries to fight in the war against Burma
that saw the first siege of Ayutthaya in 1548. Some of the Cham who helped dig the canal
that led to the creation of the Bangkok Yai and Noi canals stayed on the bank of the Yai.
They were certainly at Thonburi during the reign of King Songtham (1611-1628), as a sur-
viving record written on a palm leaf notes a soldier named Jiam attempting to send a set
of garments to his father on the Bangkok Yai canal. Another record notes the construction
of a mosque in 1688, during King Narai's reign, by a Siamese Muslim of Persian lineage
named Okya Rajavangsansenee, who was a commander in charge of the 400 French-led
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