tattoos – Tom Vater

Odisha – The Land That Time Forgot in The Nikkei Asian Review

August 31, 2016March 2, 2019tomLeave a Comment

My latest story with French journalist Laure Siegel on Odisha, one of India’s least visited states, and its fledgling tourist industry, published in the Nikkei Asian Review. PURI, India — “Jay Jagannath! Jay Jagannath!” A sea of people chants the sacred mantra while pulling on thick ropes hauling three massive, 14-meter-high wooden carts decorated in […]

Thailand’s Sacred Tattoos – A Secret Tradition Goes Global

January 23, 2016January 23, 2016tomLeave a Comment

My article in this month’s InDepth Magazine on Thailand’s Sacred Tattoos with images by Aroon Thaewchatturat, co-author and photographer of Sacred Skin – Thailand’s Spirit Tattoos, the first English language book to look at Sak Yant. On a sultry Monday morning, Ajarn Neng Onnut’s studio, known locally as a samnak, which sits tucked away in […]

From the Archives: Wai Khru Day – The Wat Bang Phra Tattoo Festival in Thailand

February 27, 2010May 15, 2011tom3 Comments

Every year in March, thousands of Buddhist devotees gather at a temple an hour west of Bangkok to worship and celebrate one of Thailand’s strangest cults: At Wat Bang Phra, Buddhist monks use long needles to tattoo magic images and prayers on the believers’ skin. The tattoos are believed to give the wearer protection, especially […]

Das Tätowierfest im Wat Bang Phra, ThailandFrom the Archives: Tom Vater on the Wat Bang Phra Tattoo Festival in Thailand

March 9, 2009November 23, 2018tomLeave a Comment

Der illustrierte Ganovenkonvent – Übersetzt von Walther Schütz Uaaahh! Der Mann stürmt genau auf mich zu, sein Gesicht ist knallrot, verzerrt in tausendfa¬chen, mir nicht bekannten Qualen. Seine bloße, tätowierte Brust glänzt vor Schweiß. Er schreit him¬melwärts, speit Gift und Galle, aber er läuft geradeaus immer vorwärts, auf mich zu. Sein Gruß gilt unbekannten Teufeln. […]

The Pain Of Vegetables – The Phuket Vegetarian Festival

November 11, 2003November 23, 2018tomLeave a Comment

The Vegetarian Festival on the tourist island of Phuket in Southern Thailand is a truly bizarre occasion. Men and women, ostensibly possessed by gods, pierce their tongues and cheeks with sharp implements. Adepts apparently feel no pain, and show little no sign of real injury. The young man wears only shorts. He is drenched in […]