Luan Phor Pern whose immense bronze statue sits in the open grounds at Wat Ban Phra Nakhon Chaisi Thailand

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The tattoo festival held annually at Wat Ban Phra Nakhon Chaisi Thailand The festival and temple is popular because of the monk s sacred tattoos particularly those of the late Luan Phor Pern whose immense bronze statue sits in the open grounds Tattooed men become possessed by spirits of tigers crocodiles and other mythological creatures which are tattooed on their bodies Once possessed they run screaming though the crowd toward the monks statue where they are usually tackled by Thai Army soldiers and released from their trance The spectacle is a sign of respect to Luan Phor Pern Sacred tattoos from the monks at Wat Ban Phra are believed to ward of danger and provide protection from evil spirits and even protection from bullets Many of the participants are said to be from Thailand s gangster underworld as well as some members from the military

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Size: 5200px × 3454px
Location: Nakhon Chaisi, Thailand
Photo credit: © Asia Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ban, belief, bizarre, buddhist, festival, insane, luan, pern, phor, phra, possessed, religion, ritual, statue, strange, tatoo, tattoo, temple, thailand, tradition, trance, wat, weird