Wat Chao Arm was built in 1779 by King Taksin who dedicated it one of his consorts, Chao Am, who was executed as a result of a misunderstanding on his part. A big stupa was built to contain her relics. However, the other structures in the temple were left unfinished. Two centuries later, Field Marshal Praphas Charusathien (during his time as interior minister) and his wife, Thanpuying Sawai, paid for the renovation of the temple and brought relics of the lord Buddha from Chiang Mai and had them enshrined in the top of the prang. A sacred bodhi tree and a sala ( Shorea rebusta) tree werelso brought from Bodh Gaya in india and planted in the temple compound.