[Peterli]

someday i will be there

[anxpuna]

Temple on tattooing spree
Talismans believed to protect from harm

Bangkok post, 27th March 2005
By Pawarisa Pumas

Several thousand worshippers flocked to Wat Bang Phra temple in Nakhon Chaisri district yesterday _ some to make merit, and many to be tattooed with traditional symbols. The temple is one of the country's most popular venues for tattooing.

A group of monks are trained to carry out the meticulous work, which was offered at a wai kru ceremony to pay respect to the late Luang Por Poen, the temple's former abbot.

The date of the ceremony is determined early in the year, but always falls on a Saturday in March.

Worshippers choose to be tattooed for a variety of reasons.

Some worshippers, predominantly men, believe that a tattoo allows them to survive gun or knife attacks. These are known as kong krapan. Others think that the tattoo makes them more attractive to the opposite sex, or ensures that they do well in business.

Among the most popular motifs are jumping tigers, the ``monkey god'' or Hanuman, hermits, swans, or other birds. Each motif is chosen for a particular reason. It is believed that the bird motif, for example, can boost your popularity.

While most worshippers seeking tattoos are men, some women also choose to be permanently marked in ink. Indeed, several worshippers come back time and time again to have their bodies decorated.

Wannee Tianrat, 33, a furniture trader in Bangkok's Bang Sue district, said it was her 10th trip to the temple yesterday.

``My first tattoo was made 10 years ago. Since then I have come back every year. Every time I get new tattoos,'' she said, adding that she believes the tattoos improve her life and her business.

The tattoos are usually done in the morning in monks' residential quarters before the wai kru ceremony takes place in a special pavilion.

During the ceremony, some worshippers can be seen moving their bodies uncontrollably. They are often seen to be mimicking the movements of the motifs adorning their bodies.



The worshippers are thought to be under a sacred spell, known as a kong kuen.

Those with a Hanuman tattoo somersaulted like monkeys, while those with a tiger tattoo could be seen leaping forward stretching their fingers as though they were paws. Several growled, mimicking animal noises, while others just rolled around on the ground.

Amazingly enough, all of them seemed to be possessed with incredible strength, to the point where onlookers took the initiative of holding them down on the ground until the ceremony came to its end.

Afterwards, the worshippers claimed they could not remember exactly what had transpired, adding to the mystery.