The must see sites in Bangkok

Siam Center and Siam Discovery Center are twin shopping malls in Pathum Wan district, Bangkok, Thailand. Located at the BTS Skytrain's Siam Station, the malls are part of a large shopping district being opposite Siam Square, next to Siam Paragon and adjacent to MBK Center. Both are owned by Siam Piwat Co. Ltd., which is a part owner of Siam Paragon with The Mall Group. A skybridge connects the fourth floor of Siam Center with Siam Discovery. A courtyard between the two malls is often host to concerts and special events. Additionally, a skybridge from the Skytrain's National Stadium station and MBK Center connects to Siam Discovery.

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha or Wat phra Rattanasatsadaram (Wat Phra Kaew) is the most sacred structure in the Kingdom and the repository of the spirit for all the Thai people. The history of the Emerald Buddha itself dates back more than 600 years and also represents the struggle of the Thai people to maintain their independence from foreign aggressors.

When King Rama I established Bangkok, or Rattanakosin, as his capital in 1782 he added the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in the eastern section of the Royal Grand Palace in order to install the Emerald Buddha. During its two hundred year history the Chapel had undergone several renovations, restorations, and additions. The Royal Chapel thus incorporates no less than two centuries of Rattanakosin craftsmanship which is an expression of the essential entity of the Thai people.

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Siam Paragon is a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. It is one of the biggest shopping centers in Asia.[citation needed] Opened on December 9, 2005, it includes a wide range of stores and restaurants as well as a multiplex movie theater (consisted of 15 large size theaters with one of the them having the biggest screen and seating capacity in Asia) and the Siam Ocean World (Underwater world) aquarium (the largest aquarium in South East Asia) and an exhibition hall and the Thai Art Gallery and also an opera concert hall. It also has a large bowling alley and karaoke center. It is a joint venture by Siam Piwat, the company that owns the adjacent Siam Center/Siam Discovery shopping malls, and The Mall Group, which also owns The Emporium. Siam Paragon has attracted large crowds since it opened, but financial results aren't reported by the privately held Siam Paragon Development.

Located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, Wat Arun can be reached either by Arun Amarin Road or by crossing the river by boat from Tha Tien Pier, near Wat Pho. The most attractive structure of this temple is the 79-metre-high pagoda or “Phra Prang? Wat Arun was renovated during the brief Thonburi period to be the Royal Chapel of King Taksin. Despite the meaning of its name that is “The Temple of Dawn? the most beautiful view of it is from the Bangkok side of the river at sunset. Wat Arun, The Temple of Dawn is named after the Indian god of dawn, Aruna. It appears to all the tourist brochures and is located on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River.

King Taksin chose this 17th century Wat for his royal temple and palace as it was the first place in Thonburi to catch the morning light. The Emerald Buddha was housed here after it was recaptured from Laos, before being moved to Wat Phra Kaeo in 1785. Even without the sacred statue. Wat Arun continued to be much revered, and the kings Rama II and Rama III reconstructed and enlarged it to its present height of 104 metres.
Today, Wat Arun has along, elongated, Khmer-style, Prang, the tower, and four minor towers symbolising Mount Meru, the terrestrial representation of the thirty-three heavens. The Prang are covered with pieces of porcelain, which Chinese boats coming to Bangkok used as ballast.

The main Prang, steep steps lead to the two terraces that form the base of the Prang. The different layers, or heavens are supported by Kinnaree, or half-humans, and frightening Yaksas, or demons. Pavilions on the first platform contain statues of the Buddha at the most important stages of his life, while on the second terrace four statues of the Hindi god Indra or Erawan, his thirty-three headed elephant, stand guard. Most tourists come for the climb and don't have time for the rest of the Wat. The main Buddha image inside the Bot is believed to have been designed by King Rarna II himself, but the murals date from the reign of King Rama V.