During the Ayutthaya Period, the temple existed as Wat Makok. When King Taksin established his capital of Thon Buri on the left bank of the Chao Phraya River, the temple was included in the royal palace, with the Emerald Buddha Enshrined. It was renamed Wat Chaeng.
In the Ratthanakosin or Bangkok Period, with the relocation of the royal capital across the river, Wat Chaeng remained a major temple. King Rama II initiated the heightening of the Prang, originally rising only 10 meters from the ground. The reconstruction was completed in the Fourth Reign. King Mongkut, Rama IV, granted the temple a new name as Wat Arun Ratchavararam.