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If you're a tattoo enthusiast, you've probably heard of Sak Yant tattoos. These tattoos have a history of over 2,000 years and hold sacred significance for Cambodian monks. While the country's turbulent history has led to the decline of many art forms, Sak Yant tattoos have miraculously survived to this day. Often written in Khmer, Cambodia's main language, these tattoos resemble verses of poetry.
In Cambodia, you can get these tattoos at tattoo shops in Phnom Penh, but the tattoos there have no real meaning. Getting a Sak Yant tattoo from a real Buddhist monk is not easy at all, as a Cambodian Royal Decree of 1920 prohibited monks from getting tattoos.
According to the beliefs of this country, Sak Yant tattoos possess immense power, and giving them to the wrong people can have extremely serious consequences. If you are lucky enough to receive a Sak Yant tattoo from a monk, you will hear them chanting while tattooing you. These monks chant to breathe life into the tattoo, bringing strength and blessings to the person receiving it.
If you want a Sak Yant tattoo, you have to accept that the monks will decide what to tattoo on you and you will only see the tattoo once it's finished.
The ink used for Sak Yant tattoos contains snake venom, charcoal, and coconut oil. While many tourists are satisfied with tattoos from shops in Phnom Penh, many are determined to travel to remote areas to find tattoo monks in Cambodia. Meeting a monk and receiving a Sak Yant tattoo is believed to be more effective because of the prayers infused into the tattoo.
