Bangkok's Giant Swing at Wat Suthat needs urgend repair works.

Thailand: The Giant Swing in Bangkok, or Sao Ching Cha, at the Wat Suthat Temple on Ratanakosin island, which is a top tourist attraction in Thailand is in need of urgent restoration.

Until 1932 the Giant Swing in Bangkok was used in Brahmin ceremonies to thank Shiva for a abundant rice harvest in Thailand. Young Thai men would ride Bangkok's Giant Swing, trying to swing high enough to grab a bag of silver coins with their teeth during this Brahmanism ceremony. Nowadays only the huge teak poles from the Giant Swing remain in front of Wat Suthat Temple and are urgently in need of repair work.

An inspection of the Giant Swing by the BMA (Bangkok Metropolitan Administration) and the Fine Arts Department of Thailand showed that the poles of the Giant Swing have been seriously eroded, causing deep cracks in the teak wood structure.

Even though numerous restoration works have been done to the Giant Swing in the past, the Fine Arts Department of Thailand wants this time to take down the whole structure for a more detailaed examination. The taking down of the structure will include an ancient Brahmin ceremony at Wat Suthat Temple in Bangkok.

By the end of May 2005, the Fine Arts Department of Thailand hopes to have repaired the 200 year-old Giant Swing, which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization).

Wat Suthat on Ratanakosin island in Bangkok is a very important temple for the people of Thailand and is home to the Brahmin priest who direct all Royal Thai Rituals such as the Royal Ploughing Ceremony which is held at the start of the rice growing season.