Sak yant tattooing process. Photo courtesy Tanat Talat
Sak Yant is a form of tattoo that has distinct religious and talismanic meaning. The tradition to decorate bodies with such tattoos appeared hundreds of years ago in Cambodia with the use of ancient Khmer script. Those who had to risk their lives on everyday basic - soldiers, fighters, criminals - wanted some special spiritual protection and thus they started to make permanent drawings - different animals, gods, sacred symbols - on their bodies believing that those images would help them in dangerous situations, would give them courage and strength, would avert swords, guns, knives, would make their skin, muscles and joints invulnerable to any attacks.
photo courtesy Morpheus
And though in Cambodia the tradition has almost completely vanished nowadays it is very popular in Thailand. Nothing much changed since those ancient times: people still believe in magical power of tattoo, they still believe that tattoo becomes home to the spirit of the personage it represents. Among most popular images are tigers, lions, dragons; sacred combinations of spires, rows and points; images of Buddha, Ganesha and Hanuman.
Tattooing technique didn't change much too. Tattoos are still inscribed in the old-fashioned way, through the use of long, sharp bamboo or metal rods and dark colourings made from a mixture of ink, snake venom, herbs and ash. Soft, ceremonious chanting in the Indian Pali language and blowing upon the tattoos during inscription stimulates the spirits to take up residence within the recipient's soul.
photo courtesy Ursula
There are many sak yant tattoo masters in Thailand but monks of the Wat Bang Phra temple are by far the most famous and have probably contributed more to the fame of the sak yant tattoo than any other temple in Thailand. Besides, every year the Wai Kru ceremony takes place in the temple. The purpose of this ceremony is to "activate" the tattoo so it would not lose its protective and talismanic properties.
Related posts