Thailand - The Temple of Dawn in Bangkok (TH-17979)

The last time I received Thai postcards was in summer, so I was happy to find two new ones in my mailbox within a short period of time :) This one comes from Bangkok and shows the Buddhist temple (wat) in Bangkok called Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn). It looks magnificent on the postcard and it's indeed great - it's height is reported by different sources as between 66,80 m and 86 m (I just wonder what's the reason of 20 m difference between those sources).

There are numerous followers of Buddhism and other Eastern religions in Poland, but the places where they meet for prayer usually aren't any special buildings. I doubt if there are any real Buddhist temples in my country, so receiving such postcard, apart from enriching my collection, lets me learn more about this religion.

TH-17979

Wat Arun (Thai: วัดอรุณ, Temple of the Dawn) is a Buddhist temple (wat) in the Bangkok Yai district of Bangkok, Thailand, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The full name of the temple is Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahavihara (วัดอรุณราชวรารามราชวรมหาวิหาร).

The outstanding feature of Wat Arun is its central prang (Khmer-style tower). It may be named "Temple of the Dawn" because the first light of morning reflects off the surface of the temple with a pearly iridescence. Steep steps lead to the two terraces. The corners are surrounded by 4 smaller satellite prangs. The prangs are decorated by seashells and bits of porcelain which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China.

Have I already told you that I love the Thai writing system? No, I can't read it and I don't think I'll ever be able to learn Thai language, but these letters look just like flowers :)