Wat Suthat Thepwararam is one of Bangkok's six first-class royal temples, built over three reigns beginning with King Rama I in 1807. The temple took 27 years to complete and remains one of the finest examples of early Rattanakosin architecture in the city.
The temple is best known to visitors for the Giant Swing — Sao Ching Cha — a towering red teak frame standing in the plaza outside the main gates. The swing was used in a Brahmin ceremony in which young men would attempt to catch bags of gold coins with their teeth while swinging at great height. The ceremony was discontinued in 1935 after a series of fatal accidents.
The main ubosot houses Phra Sri Sakyamuni, one of the largest surviving bronze Buddha images from the Sukhothai period. Cast in the 13th century and originally housed at Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai, the image was transported to Bangkok by river — a journey that reportedly took three years due to its enormous weight.
The interior walls of the ubosot are lined with remarkable murals painted during the reign of King Rama II, depicting celestial beings, foreign merchants and scenes from Thai cosmology. The cloister surrounding the complex contains 156 gilded Buddha images in various postures.
"A 13th-century Sukhothai Buddha, a silent red swing, and murals that took a king's lifetime to complete"
Historical Note
King Rama II personally contributed to Wat Suthat — he carved the wooden doors of the main ubosot himself, a remarkable act of royal craftsmanship. The doors, depicting scenes from Hindu mythology interwoven with Thai decorative motifs, are considered masterpieces of Thai woodcarving and remain in place today.