Tattoo Magic Wat Bang Phra is a Buddhist temple 50 Km west of Bangkok where the late abbot, Luan Phor Pern was famous for his tattooing skills. His work is now carried on by the temple's monks. Every year, the Temple hosts a Tattoo festival for which thousands of young men with suspicious occupations gather.
A man in a state of trance is restrained by army volunteers © Cedric Arnold
L: Monk from the temple starts the traditional tattooing process. The huge needle is repetitively jabbed into the skin... Sterilization consists of a couple of dips into a jar of alcohol © Cedric Arnold R: Details of the tattooing process The tattoos, which consist of Buddhist texts, numerology charts, mythical creatures and characters form the ancient Sanskrit epic the Ramayana, are a Khmer tradition know as "yantra". The practice, has gradually integrated elements of Hinduism and Buddhism.
Festival goers show off their tattoos © Cedric Arnold
Festival goers in a state of trance © Cedric Arnold
Festival goers show off their tattoos © Cedric Arnold
A festival goer enters a state of trance. © Cedric Arnold The tattoos are said to have magical powers against knife and bullet wounds! Thus, the tattoos are popular with soldiers, policemen and, above all, members of Thailand's underworld. Tattoo enthusiast, Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, has a yantra tattoo on her back.
A man possessed by the spirit of his "leaping tiger" tattoo runs towards the stage© Cedric Arnold A man in a state of trance is restrained by Thai soldiers © Cedric Arnold Men sit in the blistering heat of the temple's courtyard, where some enter a state of trance and mimic the creatures tattooed on their bodies. A common design is the "Leaping Tiger" tattooed across the chest; once in a state of trance, the men with this tattoo leap up, growling, eyes rolled back and extend their arms with their hands mimicking claws, like a tiger ready to pounce.
L: A festival goer enters a state of trance © Cedric Arnold R: A festival goer starts running after entering a state of "trance".© Cedric Arnold They run towards a stage where sits a statue of Luan Phor Pern, this is actually a show of respect to the late abbot. Soldiers and temple volunteers stand ready to catch the "possessed" men and prevent them from crashing into the stage.
Details of yantra tattoos at the festival © Cedric Arnold This lasts a few hours and ends at the auspicious time of 9h39AM where, monks by now in prayer on the stage, announce on loudspeakers the imminent spraying of holy water. Everyone stands up in a cloud of dust, the tattoos come alive in a confusion of screams and growls. Crazy eyed, sweaty bodies are crushed together, hands reaching out towards the spraying water.
L: A man in a state of trance is restrained by temple volunteers © Cedric Arnold
The festival's closing ceremony © Cedric Arnold It all ends abruptly. Most will follow up with a visit to one of the tattooing monks to add one more magical spell to their bodies.
The festival's closing ceremony © Cedric Arnold
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