Wat Bang Phra
History
The Thai Buddhist temple, or "Wat" in the Thai language, is located about 50 km west of Bangkok, Thailand in Nakhon Pathom. There is no existing record of when this temple was founded, however the architecture of it's assembly hall indicates the late Ayutthaya period, while the murals inside the sermon hall demonstrate the craftsmanship during the reigns of Kings Rama III and Rama IV. Former abbot Phra Udom Prachanart, more commonly known as Luang Poh Pern, was a famous meditation monk well known for his potent incantations and was also well rounded in the knowledge of the body of canons binding the Buddhist priesthood (Tripitaka). He built many of the structures on the premises from public donations during his time. The well renovated assembly and sermon halls, as well as the local museum where many abandoned artefacts have been put on display, are of interest. Wat Bang Phra translates into English as the "Temple of the Little Buddha".
Daily Tattooing
The temple is also known for the daily tattoos or Sak yant's given by the monks that live there, and especially for the tattoo festival held on the temple grounds once a year. There are many articles found on the internet regarding the tattoo festival but very little information found regarding the day to day operations of the temple as described below.
The process of receiving a tattoo from the Monks at Wat Bang Phra outside of the events surrounding the tattoo festival are as follows:
Before the Tattoo -
A person wanting a tattoo will arrive at the temple around 8:00 AM. Each tattoo takes about 15 minutes. Before entering the temple, the person will purchase flowers and cigarrettes as an offering to Buddha and to support the Wat. These offerings are then recycled back into the place where purchased and the money used for up-keep for the Wat. Upon removing your shoes and entering the Wat, a person will sit down in line. The offerings are kept in the center of the room. The tattoos are done in groups of about 20 people. When the previous group is complete, the monk blesses the next batch of offerings and the next group of people. Then, the tattooing begins again. The typical person receiving a tattoo has been observed to be between 18 and 30.
Tattoo Options -
Upon entering the Wat, one of the first things a person sees on the wall is a very large banner of tattoos available. Unless there is a specific choice requested, the monk will begin with a simple tattoo at the top of the back.
Daily Tattooing -
Right before reaching the monk, the people next in line to the one being tattoo'd will assist the monk with holding the one receiving the tattoo still. The monk uses a single long thin needle about 18 inches in length and about four millimeters in width. There are about 8 or so of these needles in a pot of some type of cleaning solution. Sometimes the monk will sharpen the needle with fine grade sandpaper before beginning. (Video)[1]. The monk will then select from several different rubber templates with the design of choice. He will apply the template to ink and then press it on to the receipients back to transfer the design. When ready to begin, he will dip the tip of the needle into a mix of oil, probably palm oil, Chinese charcoal ink, and possibly snake venom. (Video)[2] He then begins to trace the pattern. The typical tattoo takes about 3000 stikes over 12 to 15 minutes to complete. The monk dips the needle into the ink about every 30 seconds. (Video)[3] When complete, he blesses the tattoo and blows on it to infuse it with power. For men, the monk uses the charcoal ink. For women he uses a transparent ink and will use a glove in order to not touch the female body.
Location
The address of the temple Wat Bang Phra is:
Phra Udomprachanat (Luang Phor Poen)
Wat Bangphra Tambol Bangkaewfa
Amphor Nakornchaisri Nakornpathom
Tel: (034) 389-3333
Health
The sanitation of the needle and ink are unknown. Receiving a tattoo at the Wat Bang Phra temple potentially exposes a person to HIV, Hepatitis B, or Hepatitis C. There are approximately 580,000 people living with AIDS in Thailand. However, it is important to note that there are no recorded cases of contracting HIV or AIDS from a tattoo needle due to the absence of a reservoir inside the needle containing enough blood to deliver the virus into the body to pass infection.
Source: UNAIDS 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic.
References
An excellent website dedicated to this type of tattooing is http://sak-yant.com/
Travelhappy has an overview of the annual Thai Tattoo Festival that takes place at Wat Bang Phra every March, with links to numerous sources featuring photos and reports about the festival.