SIEM REAP – With its majestic and spiritual design, yantra has been deeply rooted in Khmer culture for thousands of years, embedded with a powerful role that has evolved to include a protective talisman and to represent the arts.

The sacred geometrical designs are used for protection, power, luck and spiritual guidance, often inscribed on the body as tattoos, cloth, amulets or temple walls.

It was once connected with warriors and spiritual practitioners.

At Banteay Yuth Kun (martial arts camp), one of the many zones at Angkor Sangkranta, the Federation of Khmer Sak Yantra is showing tattoos depicting Khmer alphabets and stunning artistic yantra shapes.

In Cambodia, as people maintain deeply respected spiritual traditions, often passed down through generations of spiritual lineages, Khmer yantras are being embraced by tattoo enthusiasts, spiritual seekers as well as celebrities and tourists.

Many archas (teachers) instruct people seeking to have Khmer yantra on their bodies, showing samples and where they should be on their bodies.

Chao Savath, an archa from Kampuchea Krom (currently southern Vietnam), said there are various types of yantra, each with its own meaning and purposes.

Before the tattoo process which is done only by hand, a ritual ceremony has to be held to pay tribute to previous masters.

Sambath Sak, a technical official at the federation, said the federation has organized an event to raise awareness about the practice.

The federation, established in 2014, aims to collect yantra models and pass them on to other teachers who want them and who wish to pass on the practice to the next generation.
 

He said people had been hesitant previously about Khmer yantras using a hand needle as they were only familiar with the machine technique.

“Some didn’t trust the hand technique, afraid of the ink being spoiled or the tattoo not being beautiful,” he said, adding that this depends on skill of the archa.

He said that since the establishment of the federation, trust in yantra had risen.

However, it was cause for concern that fewer than 10 masters remained with the federation.

Lbokator fighter Sin Seav Sean has studied sak yantra for more than a year. She said kun lbokator and sak yantra are culturally the same. She said studying yantra and practicing it require a high level of self-decipline and there are rules that must be followed strictly so that the yantra is effective.

One of a few female students, Seav Sean said lack of women is the reason she is learning this practice.

“On the other hand, yantra also involved in Khmer literature. So, if we don’t promote it, it might be lost,” she said, adding that students must muster Khmer literature and Pali languages.

She also learns protective mantra and how to produce the ink used in tattooing the yantra from elders in other provinces.

Chea Youkeang and Heng Sreylin contributed to the story.