Thailand's Temple of Dawn to get $4 mn makeover
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Thai motor boats sail on the Chao Phraya river along Wat Arun Buddhist temple in Bangkok, July 7, 2007. (AFP/File)
Thailand's iconic "Temple of Dawn" on the banks of Bangkok's Chao Phraya river is to undergo a three-year renovation costing around $4 million, authorities said Friday.
Wat Arun, one of the kingdom's most famous landmarks, known for the morning light reflecting off its porcelain-encrusted surfaces, will remain open to visitors during the overhaul, according to officials.
"We will not close it all. The repairs will start in some parts only," a senior monk at the temple, Phra Sri Suthi Wethee, told AFP.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Tourists can still come. We haven't closed the big stupa yet."
Work on the central tower -- built in the first half of the 19th century -- will start in 2015, according to Tharapong Srisuchat, a senior official at the Ministry of Culture.
"We cannot put all the scaffolding up at the same time or tourists will be disappointed," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tharapong estimated that it will take about a year to renovate the Khmer-style central stupa.
The budget for the project, which will start this month, is 130 million baht ($4.2 million), he added.
"The maintenance cycle is usually 25-30 years but it's shortening because of increased pollution and more severe changes in the weather," Tharapong said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He said the work at the temple -- which was last renovated in 1996 -- would include repairing cracks, removing mould and replacing damaged tiles.