Sak yant, the art of sacred tattoo

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.

Flowers of Thailand

For the Thais who live under the tropical climate flowers have always been an inseparable part of their lives. Since early times flowers have been used in cooking, cosmetics, decorations, medicine and worship.
Of all flowers grown in Thailand about two thirds are scented. The scents can be delicately light, extremely evanescent or even intoxicating. Unscented flowers however are usually more colourful and more attractive that the scented kind.

White Temple, the damaged beauty of Thailand

The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) used to be one of the most beautiful and unique temples of Thailand. Surprisingly, it was not built hundreds of years ago, the construction of this miracle temple started in 1998 and was completed in 2008. The idea of the temple belonged to a well known Thai painter-turned-architect who wanted to create something elegant to honour Buddha's purity. Perhaps, that's why the building of Wat Rong Khun was all white, unlike most Thai temples. With glass and mirrors embedded into the outside shining and sparkling in the sunlight, the temple really looked like being made of ice. However, according to the designer's idea the White Temple was created to be viewed in moonlight when it would appear particularly ghostly and otherworldly.

Ramayana murals at the Grand Palace

Hanuman fighting fish

The cloisters that define the perimeter of the Emerald Buddha Temple at the Grand Palace complex, Bangkok, are decorated with extensive murals depicting scenes from the Thai version of the Ramayana. The Mural has 178 scenes, which illustrate the complete epic story of Ramayana sequentially, in a clockwise direction starting at the north gate, covering the entire wall. In Thailand, the Ramayana epic is known as Ramakian or Ramakien. It is not in any sense a direct descendant of the Valmiki Ramayana recorded in Sanskrit. It is simply another of the many versions of the story. In addition to the Sanskrit tradition, it is influenced by Sri Lankan, Khmer, Burmese, and many other versions. The tales of the Ramakien are similar to those of the Ramayana, though there are a few differences. Names of characters, way of life, food, dress, weapons etc are all based on Thai culture. Ravana, the demon king, who is known as Tosakanth in Thai version of Ramayana is stripped of some evil characteristics and there are verses that make people sympathize with him. There are also some characters in Ramakien that are not part of the original Ramayana.

Grand Palace of Bangkok

The Grand Palace is the most famous landmark of Bangkok. Rather than being a single structure, the Grand Palace is made up of numerous buildings, halls, pavilions set around open lawns, gardens and courtyards. This complex offers a display of beautiful architecture, creativity and craftsmanship of Thailand. This is a former royal residence which today is used by the king only for certain ceremonial occasions.