Thread: Fine Arts Dept to Monitor Tilting of Wat Arun Stupa

The Fine Arts Department (FAD) has announced plans to utilize advanced 3D scanning technology in order to monitor the tilting of Wat Arun’s main stupa, a significant heritage site located in Bangkok Yai district alongside the Chao Phraya River.


According to a recent survey conducted by the FAD, a slight tilt has been observed around the upper section of the wat’s main structure. Additionally, subsidence has caused four smaller stupas as well as four surrounding mondop structures to lean slightly towards the main stupa.


FAD Director General Phanombut Chantharachot assured that the foundation structure of the main stupa remains strong, with only the top exhibiting signs of tilting. In light of these findings, the FAD plans to perform 3D scanning checks on the main stupa every three months to monitor for any further changes in the tilt. If no significant movements are detected, the data will be recorded every six months, eventually transitioning to yearly assessments.


The collected data will play a crucial role in assisting the FAD with planning future repairs for this temple, which dates back to the Ayutthaya period, ensuring the preservation of this national heritage site.


In response to safety concerns, Phra Kru Suwatthana Rattanakun, the temple’s secretary-general, said access is currently granted only to the second terrace of the main pagoda.

Fine Arts Dept to Monitor Tilting of Wat Arun Stupa

damn, been here off and on for best part of 30 years and still not been. drove past it many times and been to the temple next door. how long do i have left to see it?

Originally Posted by misskit

Tilting of Wat Arun Stupa

No worries. A future tourist attraction.

^ My thoughts exactly. The tilting stupa of wat arun.

The Pisa tower cost about €25 million to keep it leaning rather than collapsing, though.

And in Thailand there would inevitably be some extra costs on top.

Wat Arun is structurally safe, despite slight tilting of mondop

The slight lean in the four mondops, Thai religious architectural features, towards the central tower, or prang, of Bangkok’s famous Wat Arun is not threatening the structure of the main prang, according to Phanombootra Chandrajoti, director-general of the Fine Arts Department.


He said today (Thursday) that the three-dimensional scans of the structures, conducted by officials from the Art and Cultural Heritage Information Technology Centre, shows that the mondop, a square or cruciform building with a pointed roof, on the southern side of the principal prang has tilted slightly towards the main tower, but this poses threat to the structure.


He explained that the slight lean of the mondop might have occurred, due of the type of soil in Bangkok, either when the building was first constructed or when it underwent repairs.


The director-general said that renovation experts from the department will discuss making surveys of the principal prang and surrounding structures every three months, six months or annually, to monitor any increase in the tilt, so appropriate remedial measures can be undertaken.


The current prang is a replica of the original, which was built during the Ayutthaya period. Construction began in 1820, during the reign of King Rama 2 of the Chakri dynasty, and was completed nine years later.


Wat Arun is one of Bangkok’s best known landmarks and sits on the bank of the Chao Phraya River.

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