A Buddhist temple had existed at the site of Wat Arun since the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, prior to the reign of King Narai.

The temple enshrined the Emerald Buddha image before it was transferred to Wat Phra Kaew on the river's eastern bank in 1785.

Nous devons ajouter que la plus belle pagode de Bangkok, celle de Wat-Chang, n’est cependant pas renfermée dans l’enceinte du palais, mais s’élève vis-à-vis, sur la rive droite du Ménam.

[9] (Translation): Let me add here that Wat Chaeng, the most beautiful temple in Bangkok, is not located in the palace grounds but stands majestically on the right bank of the river.

The spire of the pagoda, which is over 200 feet in height, is the first sign to travelers sailing upstream from the mouth of the river that they have arrived in the capital.

The temple underwent major restorations during the reign of Chulalongkorn (Rama V, 1868–1910) and in 1980, prior to the bicentenary celebration of Bangkok's foundation.

As the work neared its end in 2017, photographs of the results drew some criticism for the temple's new appearance, which seemed white-washed compared to its previous state.

The prang are decorated by shells of Mauritia mauritiana and bits of porcelain, which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China.

[14] Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong said that both prang (spire) and vihara (main hall) appeared today; they were the original works of the Department of Ten Crafts in the Ayutthaya period.