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It’s much harder to get a magic tattoo in Cambodia than it used to be, laments Chey Cham.

“I do have one tattoo of a python on my right upper arm but it’s for beauty, not magic,” said the 30-year-old from the outskirts of Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh.

“That’s because I can’t find anywhere in my town to get a magic tattoo.”

Over centuries, Cambodians have endured hours of procedures to obtain hand-drawn mystical tattoos believed to give them magical powers, but the tradition appears to be fading in this increasingly modern country.

Miech Ponn, adviser on mores and customs at Cambodia’s Buddhist Institute, said magic tattoos were believed to bring good luck or popularity but were mostly used by soldiers seeking to become invisible to enemies or repel bullets.

“Tattoos were really popular among Cambodian men in the past. Almost every Cambodian male was tattooed,” he said.

These days, he adds, superstitious people in rural areas are usually the ones who believe in magic. “Until now science can’t break this superstition. I don’t know why it cannot.”

Tattooist Chan Trea says he has noticed that the number of customers seeking him out in the belief they will obtain special powers has dwindled over the past decade.

“Usually, the Cambodian customers are police, soldiers and fighters like boxers and martial artists,” he said.

“But there is a decrease in the number of people coming for magical reasons. I guess, in the future, things like magic will be very rare in this country.”

The tattoos usually feature images of supernatural creatures, Hindu gods or characters from Pali and Sanskrit. Cambodian fighters are often adorned with intimidating images of a dragon, tiger or the monkey king Hanuman.

Trea notes the tattoos can be administered by any traditional healer or Buddhist monk who has strong spiritual beliefs, but only a few remain alive who know how to use traditional long needles and recite magical spells.

These esteemed tattooists draw magic tattoos by hand with two or three sewing needles tied together, poking black, blue or red ink into the skin.

But for those seeking powers, the process isn’t as simple as getting poked by a few needles, said the Buddhist Institute’s Ponn.

Those who drink alcohol or have extramarital affairs are believed to risk decreasing the magic from their tattoos, he said.

He adds that people getting the tattoos also must refrain from eating purple potatoes, gourds or star fruit to ensure the spells work — while for soldiers on the battlefield, stealing breaks a tattoo’s magic.

A national hero, Cambodian heavyweight kickboxing champion Ei Phuthong, said he owes part of his decade-long reign to his magic tattoos.

With a mystical flying creature and the Hindu god Vishnu on his back, as well as a “Great Weight” Pali symbol on his right hand, he believes he gets more power in his punch.

“Of course I believe in magic tattoos, though it is inexplicable,” he said. “They have helped me win. With them, I feel more than a match for my opponent in the ring.”

The belief in the power of tattoos is most evident among hardened Cambodian troops stationed near the Thai border, where a territorial dispute over the past year has erupted into skirmishes that have killed seven soldiers.

One soldier near the area at the center of the dispute, a 46-year-old who gave his name only as Oeurn, said he and most of his comrades had magic tattoos for protection.

The value of the magical Sanskrit patterns tattooed on his back and chest was proven, he said, during an April gun battle that left three Cambodian soldiers dead.

“At that time, many bullets were showered toward me,” Oeurn said, “but magically they were averted away.”

AFP