tattoo , Sak yant , yantra tattooing is a form of sacred tattooing practiced in Southeast Asian countries including Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. The practice has also began to grow in popularity among Chinese Buddhists in Singapore.  Sak yant are normally tattooed by wicha (magic) practitioners and Buddhist monks. The one of the most famous temple in the present day for Yant tattooing is Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Chaysri, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand.  There are other temples in Bangkok, Ayutthaya and northern Thailand where Sak Yant is performed but, for a non-Thai speaking person is best to have a translator along.  One such place is Wat Keam  which name means needle. It is located in San Patong just out of Chiang mai. There the famous Phra Ajarn Gamtawn resides.  In Ayutthaya, Thailand, Ajarn Kob and his son, Ajarn Oh, are sak-yant masters and do quality work. Ajarn Kob has an English translation sak yant book which provides the basic meaning and price for English speaking visitors/students.  Records have shown that the tattoo dates back to Angkor times. Different masters over the years, 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 a mixture of ancient  Khmer script and the original Buddhist Pali script . 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.