Sao Ching Cha (the Giant Swing)

Sao Ching Cha (เสาชิงช้า), the Giant Swing, stands in Phra Nakhon. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the Sao Chingcha area has been a centre of Bangkok from the Rattanakosin period to the present. King Rama I had the swing built after he extended the city eastward from Thonburi, the capital of King Taksin’s time, and a canal was dug around the city. He chose the centre of the city for shrines, temples of Brahmanism, and the Giant Swing. TAT calls it an outstanding symbol of Bangkok.

It is two tall red pillars on a huge stone, 21.15 metres high. The lotus-shaped pedestal is white exposed-aggregate concrete, and an inscribed stone on the arch of the pedestal tells a history of Sao Ching Cha. A pair of central pillars and two pairs of stilts, with capitals, were made of round lathed teak trunks. The frame that joins the capitals is carved, and the whole structure is painted red. TAT says it was built for the Swing Ceremony, or the Ceremony of Tri-yampawai, from an old Hindu epic. The swing seen today is a new one, rebuilt from 11 to 13 September 2007, with pillars of golden teak from Phrae. The page spells the province Prae. Buildings nearby, TAT says, still keep the look of the early Rattanakosin period.

The address line is Sao Chingcha, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200. The page does not print opening hours, a ticket price, a telephone, or an email.

Photo: (2022) เสาชิงช้า เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร Giant Swing,Bangkok (1).jpg by กสิณธร ราชโอรส, CC BY-SA 4.0 (2021), the red Giant Swing beside the road.