Yantra tattooing, also called sak yan , is a form of tattooing that originated in ancient Cambodia, yet almost completely vanished due to the civil war. Khmer yantra remains to be the most genuine and pure. It consists of magical ancient Khmer scripts that protect and give luck to the soul. It is practiced in Southeast Asian countries including Laos, and Thailand. The practice has also begun to grow in popularity among Chinese Buddhists in Singapore. Sak means "to [tattoo]", and yan is Thai for the Sanskrit word yantra.
Sak yan designs are normally tattooed by ruesi, wicha (magic) practitioners, and Buddhist monks, traditionally with a long bamboo stick sharpened to a point (called a mai sak) or alternatively with a long metal spike (called a khem sak).[4]