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00:00The giant swing right behind us is not just an eye-catching monument,
00:04but it also has some history that swings between sacred and daring.
00:10This 21-meter-tall structure was constructed in 1784. It was once used in a Brahmin ceremony
00:17called Triyambavai or Pithilo Chingcha in Thai, where young men would swing towards the heaven
00:22and meant to grab a bag of gold coins, a risky feat in honor of the Hindu god Shiva.
00:29According to Silapa Wattanatham, a Thai history magazine, the ceremony was discontinued because
00:35of the war and the high cost of running it. But a lot of people think it was really due
00:39to all the deaths that happened during the ritual. Today, the giant swing stands as a symbol of
00:45Bangkok's spiritual heritage, no longer in motion, but still inspiring all.