History of Yant

          Cultures of tattooing on skin, tattoo designs on skin, or known as Sak Lai or SakYant is one of Thai culture for a long time. However, nowadays Sak Lai or SakYant as traditional belief is hardly found. Some people may want to decorate their body with Yant, but not much. History of SakYant or Yantra patterns of Thai is an interesting subject but it seems that only few people are interested in it of which involves with the traditional one though, and it is going to disappear as days go by.
 
          What is “Sak”? Royal Institute Dictionary B.E. 2525 mentions that“Sak isto pierce with an iron spike by different methods or for various uses; to make characters on skin by stabbing an ink or oil soaked spike onto the skin. If using ink, it is called SakMuk (ink tattooing). If using oil, it is called Sak Nam-Man (oil tattooing).
 
          In studying this kind of folk art, we should study about its design, process and rituals, comparison of each ethnic group, their values and changes, and the ancient inherited Sak. There are 2 different type of Sak, including the traditional Sak patterns and the faith-related Sak patterns. Each of them has its own typical evolution showing Thai history in various aspects of Sak patterns inherited from the ancient Thai society.
              
          Concerning Sak related to faith and purpose, some guys need SakYant talisman for reasons of the strength of mind and invincibility which is a kind of belief happening as a convention in some group of people. This kind of Sak activity will be done only for fully-grown men. It interferes with some beliefs and rituals. For example,before Sak, the ceremony of paying homage to the masters must be conducted, and the Sak activity is including of spelling incantations; Arjarn or the master of Sak will rub the skin of those who getting tattooed before doing, during and after finishing doing Sak. Each master will have his own style of design. Those who want to be tattooed can choose any patterns they desire which mostly are animals in mythology, Khmer characters, and occult numbers, or mixed of three types, so Sak patterns of each person may be different.
 
          The reason why SakYant is still available is that many people still believe SakYant will help them be lucky, avoid bad incidents, being safety, invincible and away from all danger and harm. Different Sak patterns have their own magical power. Some Sak patterns or Yant can help those who getting tattooed escape from any difficult or dreadful situation.
 
          In addition to connection with magical power of caution and safety, and avoidance of all danger, this kind of folk art may also stimulate a sense of confidence and faith. It may be a symbol of the truth. As modern culture may not contain the meaning of secure, SakYant culture help people feel safer, more confident and stable.
 
          Patterns widely popular among the tattooists are those result in superstition. They are divided into 2 types of contributions including MettaMahaNiyom (meaning of The Greatest Mercy and Popularity) and KhongKraPhan Cha Tri (meaning of Invulnerability).
 
          MettaMahaNiyom is SakYant for contribution of the greatest mercy and popularity. It is always tattooed with an image of Na Nah Thongrepresenting charming, attractiveness, being loved by all angles and humans. Yant with special effectiveness in negotiation, business trading, and prosperity are such as Yant Na Maha La Luay, Yant Na Nah Thong, etc.
 
          The significance of SakYant is the result of magical power. It is considered that “The heart of SakYant is the heart of magic spell written on each Yant pattern. It is the secret tip of magic of each master which is definitely undisclosed to anyone, except the entrusted pupil chosen to be a successor.”
 
          Such SakYant patterns must be tattooed on proper position of the body as the textbook composed and instructed by the master otherwise they would be depreciated. Due to the objective of SakYant is for the benefit of superstition, one must be tattooed by master with dedicated holy magic only. Today there are still some people having confidence and faith in SakYant, it is significantly reduced, though, comparing to the past.And day by day, information about SakYant patterns is more difficult to search due to lacking of experts or specialists; some masters who are still alive in the present are not conveying their knowledge to pupils, so those who know this kind of knowledge are rare.

History of "NA EUT TA RANG"

          “Na Eut Ta Rang” is a very ancient Yantra. At the beginning, there was just a “Na” with its origin from the great master ArjarnSaengSamsen. In those days, ArjarnSaeng tattooed this Yant on the Adam’s apple of his all pupils. Even the great master ArjarnPlangSrisakda also had this SakYant on his own Adam’s apple. And then it became a symbol of Na Eut Ta Rang that ArjarnPlang used as his own symbol.