Devasathan & the Giant Swing

Standing in City Hall square, the Giant Swing (Sao Ching Cha) was originally erected in 1784 as part of the adjacent Devasathan, a Brahmin compound of shrines to Shiva, Ganesha and Vishnu. The Brahmin priests based here still officiate at royal and other official ceremonies (although no longer at the Brahmin New Year rite). In the past, a ceremony, meant to celebrate an exploit of the god Shiva, would require four brave men to swing from this lofty red frame to grab at pouches of coins. However, due to fatal casualties, the ritual stopped in the 1930s. The poles were erected in 1919 by the Louis T Leonowens Company to honour of the son of Anna Leonowens (the contentious governess in The King and I and a teacher in the Siamese court of King Rama IV). In 2006, the rickety timbers were replaced by the structure you see today