Yantra tattooing

Sak yant (), also called yantra tattooing, is a form of sacred tattooing practiced in Southeast Asian countries including Cambodia and Thailand. 
Sak yant are normally tattooed by wicha (magic) practitioners. The most famous temple in the present day for Yant tattooing is Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Chaysri, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand.
Records have shown that the tattoo dates back to Angkor times. Different masters have added to these designs through visions received in their meditations. Some Yant have been adapted from pre-Buddhist Shamanism and the belief in animal spirits that was to be found in the Southeast Asian sub-Continent and incorporated into the Thai tradition and cultures.
The script used for Yant designs is ancient Khmer. In Cambodia, the tattoo is used for self-protection. Cambodians believe a yantra has magical powers that ward off evil and hardship. The tattoo is particularly popular amongst military personnel. The tattoo supposedly guarantees that the person cannot receive any physical harm as long as they observe certain rules. 
Yant designs are also applied to many other mediums, such as cloth or metal, and placed in one's house, place of worship, or vehicle as a means of protection from all kinds of dangers, or against illness, to increase wealth or attract lovers etc.
== Gallery ==
Image:319.jpg|Yant Paed Tidt
Image:Wat-bang-phra.jpg|Hlwong Pi Nan tattooing Yant at Wat Bang Phra Temple
Image:hlwongpipant-josh.jpg|Hlwong Pi Pant tattooing a Yant in Ang Tong Province.
image:Yant-tattoo.jpg|Devotee of Wat Bang Phra covered in Yant Tattoos
== External links ==
*Sak Yant Thai-Khmer temple tattoos
*Khmer Protective Tattoos: History and Role in Modern Society
*Leisure Cambodia
*http://travelhappy.info/thailand/thailand-tattoo-temple-wat-bang-phra/
*http://www.arjannoo.com/
==References==
Category:Tattooing
Category:Buddhist practices
Category:Cambodian culture
Category:Thai culture
bn:ইয়ান্ত্রা উল্কি