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| The Giant Swing |
It is quite a puzzling site. We may wonder why it is there and what was its real purpose? So here is its amazing story.
The original Giant Swing dates back to 1784, two years after the completion of the Grand Palace. It was commissioned by King Rama I, the founder of Bangkok, his new capital. With time, the Swing went through some renovations. It was rebuilt between 2005 and 2006. HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) dedicated it in September 2007 in a royal ceremony.
The story of the Giant Swing goes back to the Hindu past of the country, 1,500 years ago during the Sukhothai period. In the Brahmin lunar calendar, there was a royal ceremony for each lunar month. The Swing Ceremony was held in the fist month of the Thai lunar calendar. It was a Brahmin new year's ceremony that lasted 10 days. In the Rattanakosin period in the 19th century, the ceremony was moved to the second lunar month.
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| Hindu Shrine near Swing |
According to the ancient Hindu epic, Brahma first created the world. Then he sent Shiva to look after its creation and test the stability of the world. So, Shiva came down to earth. He was ordered to stand on a mountain while the Nagas (the giant snakes) tried to shake him to the ground. When Shiva was able to show that the earth was stable, the Nagas moved to the seas to celebrate the event.
The Swing Ceremony re-enacted this episode. The circular base of the swing symbolizes the earth and the seas, while the pillars stand for the mountains.
It was a thanksgiving ceremony held in mid December right after the main rice harvest. During the ceremony, young Brahmin men would swing higher and higher trying to catch a bag of silver coins with their teeth on one of the pillars. The stability of the swing and the swingers' eventual success were re-enacting the Hindi legend. Since this was a high risk game that resulted in injuries and even deaths, it was finally discontinued in 1932.
Today, it has indeed become a tourist attraction in the Historic City. Like Wat Suthat and other monuments, the Giant Swing has been presented to UNESCO as a future World Heritage Site.
Christian Sorand,
Bangkok, August 2014
Links:
- Tourist attractions + map: http://www.thebangkokshoppingguide.com/giant-swing-bangkok
- Atlas Obscura: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/giant-swing
- Mapsofworld + map: http://www.mapsofworld.com/travel/destinations/thailand/giant-swing
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Swing
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