Yantra tattooing

Yantra tattooing or Sak Yant is a form of tattooing using Indian yantra designs. It consists
of sacred geometrical, animal and deity designs accompanied by Pali phrases that are said to
offer power, protection, fortune, charisma and other benefits for the bearer.

History
Tattoos believed to offer protection and other benefits have been recorded everywhere
throughout both mainland Southeast Asia and as far south as Indonesia and the Philippines.[1]
Over the centuries the tradition spread to what is now Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and parts of
Myanmar.[2] While the tradition itself originates with indigenous tribal animism, it became
closely tied to the Hindu-Buddhist concept of yantra or mystical geometric patterns used during
meditation. Tattoos of yantra designs were believed to hold magic power, and were used much
like the kolam tattoos of India. For these people, religion is closely tied to the notion of magic,
health, and good fortune.[3]

The script used for yantra designs varies according to culture and geography. In Cambodia and
central Thailand, the Old Khmer script (Cambodian language) of the Khmer Empire is used.
While in northern Thailand yantra tattoos may use Shan, northern Thai, or Tai Lu scripts, and
in Laos the Lao Tham script is employed.[4][5][6][7] The script spells out abbreviated syllables
from Pali incantations. Different masters have added to these designs over the centuries
through visions received in their meditations. Some yantra designs have been adapted from pre-
Buddhist shamanism and the belief in animal spirits that was found in Southeast Asia and
incorporated into Thai tradition and culture.[8]

Meaning
Yantra tattoos are believed to be magic and bestow mystical powers, protection, or good luck.[9]
There are three main effects of a yantra tattoo. One is that which benefits the wearer, such as
making them more eloquent. Another is that of protection and to ward off evil and hardship.
This is commonly used by military personnel, police, taxi drivers, gangsters, and others in
perceived dangerous professions. Another type is that which affects people around the wearer,
such as invoking fear. The tattoo only confers its powers so long as the bearer observes certain
rules and taboos, such as abstaining from a certain type of food.[1]

Sak yant designs are also applied to many other media, such as cloth or metal, and placed in
one's house, place of worship, or vehicle as a means of protection from danger or illness, to
increase wealth, and to attract lovers. In recent years Hollywood celebrities such as Angelina
Jolie, whose tattoos were inked by Ajahn Noo Ganpai with Old Khmer script Sak yant in
Thailand, have made them popular among women.[4] Angelina Jolie got a yantra tattoo of a
Bengal tiger in 2004 to celebrate acquiring Cambodian citizenship. [10]

However, a modern movement in Thailand seeks to progress away from its animistic past. As
part of this movement, many modern-day Thais view yantra tattoos as nothing more than good-
luck symbols that are stylish.[11]
Types and designs
There are thousands of traditional designs of yantra tattoos, but some of
the most well-known and popular include:

▪ Ong Phra (Thai: องค์พระ; translation: Buddha's body) - one of the most
commonly used elements in Yantra tattooing, but can also be a more
complex standalone design. Meant to provide insight, guidance,
illumination, etc.
▪ Haw-taew (Thai: ห ้าแถว; translation: five rows) - Typically tattooed on
the back left shoulder. Each of the five lines relates to a different
blessing for success and good luck. The "unalome" is a
common motif in
▪ Gao-yord (Thai: เก ้ายอด; translation: nine spires) - typically tattooed on
yantra tattoos and
the center top of the back in various sizes and levels of complexity.
is itself a popular
Simple version pictured at the top of this article.
yantra used widely
▪ Si-yot (Thai: สยี� อด; translation: four spires) - to influence the feelings or in Southeast Asian
actions of others and protect the bearer. Buddhism.
▪ Paed-thit (Thai: แปดทิศ; translation: eight points) - represents
protection in the eight directions of the universe. Round shape;
typically tattooed on the center of the back. Pictured in gallery below.
▪ Sip-thit (Thai: สบ ิ ทิศ; translation: ten points) - a version of paet-thit, but
protects in ten directions instead of eight.
▪ Maha-niyom (Thai: มหานิยม; translation: great preference) - to grant the
bearer favor in the eyes of others. Round shape; typically placed on the
back right shoulder.
Om written in
▪ Yot Mongkut (Thai: ยอดมงกุฎ; translation: spired crown) - for good fortune Thai script.
and protection in battle. Round shape; typically tattooed on the top of the
head.
▪ Panchamukhi (Thai: ปั ญจมุข;ี translation: five Deva faces) - intended to ward off illness and
danger.
▪ Suea-koo (Thai: เสอ ื คู;่ translation: twin tiger) - typically depicts twin tigers. Symbolizes
strength, fearlessness, and resilience.
▪ Uṇālom (Thai: อุณาโลม; translation: urna, often left untranslated as "unalome") - the ūrṇā
curl between the eyebrows of the Buddha. Variously described as representing the 'third
eye', the path to nirvana, and the coil, line, and point of the syllable 'Om' written in Thai
script.
▪ Hanuman (Thai: หนุมาน; translation: monkey god) - Hanuman is revered for his ability to
overcome obstacles and challenges, making the Hanuman Yantra a symbol of resilience
and determination.
▪ Yant Krop Kaew (Thai: ยันต์กรอบแก ้ว; translation: diamond shield) - features geometric
patterns resembling a diamond or crystal lattice, symbolizing strength and invincibility.[12]

Locations
▪ One of the most famous temples in the present day for yantra tattooing is Wat Bang Phra in
Nakhon Chai Si District, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand. Ajaan Noo Kanpai, perhaps
the most famous practitioner of sak yan in Thailand, trained here.
▪ One well-known temple in northern Thailand is Wat Nhong Khem (khem means needle).[13]
It is in San Patong just outside Chiang Mai and was home to the late sak yan master Phra
Ajaan Gamtawn, who died in Chiang Mai on 14 September 2010. This temple no longer
 applies tattoos.[14]

Gallery

Yant Paed-thit Phra Ajarn Hlwong Pi Hlwong Pi Pant Devotee of Wat Bang
Nan tattooing at Wat tattooing a yant in Phra covered in sak
Bang Phra Temple Ang Thong Province. yant

Sak yant, Nakhon

Pathom

See also
▪ Cetiya
▪ Jinapañjara
▪ Luang pho phet
▪ Rangoli
▪ Sacca-kiriya
▪ Tattooing in Myanmar
▪ Thai Buddha amulet

References
1. Lars Krutak. Spiritual Skin: Magical Tattoos and Scarification. Reuss. ISBN 9783943105117.
2. Cummings, Joe, (2011) Sacred Tattoos of Thailand: Exploring the Magic, Masters and
Mystery of Sak Yan, Marshall Cavendish.
3. Drouyer, Isabel Azevedo; Drouyer, Rene, (2013) Thai Magic Tattoos, The Art and Influence
of Sak Yant, Riverbooks editions.
4. Cummings, Joe. (2015). Sacred Tattoos of Thailand: Exploring the Magic, Masters and
Mystery of Sak Yan. ISBN 9814302546 See also [1] (http://www.sacredtattoosofthailand.co
m)
 5. May, Angela Marie. (2014). Sak Yant: The Transition from Indic Yantras to Thai Magical
Buddhist Tattoos (Master's thesis). The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
6. Igunma, Jana. (2013). Aksoon Khoom: Khmer Heritage in Thai and Lao Manuscript
Cultures. Tai Culture, 23, Route of the Roots: Tai-Asiatic Cultural Interaction.
7. Kourilsky, Grégory, & Berment, Vincent. (2005). Towards a Computerization of the Lao
Tham System of Writing. In First International Conference on Lao Studies (FICLS).
8. Bangpra, Tik (September 8, 2020). The Power Of Sak Yant: 50 Designs & Meanings Of Thai
Tattoos (https://www.amazon.com/Power-Sak-Yant-Designs-Meanings/dp/B08HRZGX6F/ref
=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=sak+yant&qid=1623596075&sr=8-3) (1 ed.). Independently
published. p. 1. ISBN 979-8683996604. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
9. "Sak Yant - Magic Tattoo | Thai Guide to Thailand" (https://web.archive.org/web/2011100119
4821/http://www.thaiguidetothailand.com/magic-and-superstition/sak-yant-magic-tattoo/).
Archived from the original (http://www.thaiguidetothailand.com/magic-and-superstition/sak-y
ant-magic-tattoo/) on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
10. Angelina Jolie Has Three Giant New Tattoos. (2016, February 9). SELF. Retrieved February
2, 2021, from https://www.self.com/story/angelina-jolie-new-tattoos
11. "Tattoo Chiang Mai - Your destination in northern Thailand" (http://thai.tattoo). thai.tattoo.
Retrieved 2017-04-02.
12. "Sak Yant: Muay Thai Tattoos & Meaning" (https://siamkickfight.com/blogs/ringready/sak-ya
nt-muay-thai-tattoos-meaning). Siamkick Fight. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
13. "Sak Yant - at Wat Nhong Khaem" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160814120458/http://nort
hernthailand.com/a/en/chiangmai-cultural/tattoos/214-sak-yat-at-wat-kheam.html). Archived
from the original (http://northernthailand.com/a/en/chiangmai-cultural/tattoos/214-sak-yat-at-
wat-kheam.html) on 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
14. "Phra Ajarn Gamtorn-Sak Yant Chiang Mai - R.I.P. | Thai Guide to Thailand" (https://web.arc
hive.org/web/20161107111840/http://www.thaiguidetothailand.com/magic-and-superstition/p
hra-ajarn-gamtorn-sak-yant-chiang-mai-r-i-p/). Archived from the original (http://www.thaigui
detothailand.com/magic-and-superstition/phra-ajarn-gamtorn-sak-yant-chiang-mai-r-i-p/) on
2016-11-07. Retrieved 2010-09-16.

Further reading
▪ Chean Rithy Men. "The Changing Religious Beliefs and Ritual Practices among
Cambodians in Diaspora", in Journal of Refugee Studies. Vol. 15, No. 2 2002, pp 222–233.
▪ Cummings, Joe. Sacred Tattoos of Thailand: Exploring the Masters, Magic and Mystery of
Sak Yan. Singapore, 2011.
▪ Drouyer, Isabel; Drouyer, Rene. Thai Magic Tattoos The Art And Influence of Sak Yant. Ed.
River Books, 2013.
▪ Harris, Ian. Cambodian Buddhism: History and Practice. Honolulu, 2008.
▪ Igunma, Jana. "Human Body, Spirit and Disease; the Science of Healing in 19th century
Buddhist Manuscripts from Thailand", in The Journal of the International Association of
Buddhist Universities. Vol. 1, 2008, pp. 120–132.
▪ Rivers, Victoria Z. "Layers of Meaning: Embellished Cloth for Body and Soul", in Jasleen
Dhamija, Asian Embroidery. New Delhi, 2004, pp. 45–66. ISBN 81-7017-450-3.
▪ Swearer, Donald K. Becoming the Buddha: the Ritual of Image Consecration in Thailand.
Princeton, 2004.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yantra_tattooing&oldid=1226386443"