The Hah Taew (5 lines) Sak Yant was made famous in the west by Angelina Jolie who had it tattooed on her back in 2016 whilst filming is Cambodia. Amongst westerners it is perhaps the most popular and famous Sak Yant but within Thailand it isn’t quite so popular. If you see it on Thais it is mainly amongst women as their main Sak Yant (although in general, tattooing isn’t common amongst thai ladies) or as a “filler” Sak Yant for men. Keep reading our blogs as future blogs will go into more detail on other Sak Yants that are popular with various groups such as Muay Thai fighters, soldiers etc..
The Hah Taew Sak Yant is believed to have been designed by a Buddhist Monk called Kru Pa Kambat over 700 years ago in Chaing Mai which is a beautiful town nestled at the base of the mountains in the north of Thailand in an areas that was known in ancient times as the Kingdom of Lanna. Kru Pa Kambat was known to study at Wat Ton Pin an ancient temple based in Chang Mai at that time. Unfortunately it no longer exists.
The original 5 lines was written in Khom which is now a dead language that was spoken at the time in the ancient Khmer region.
The 5 lines when transcribed, read as the following:
- i ra cha ka ta ra sa
- ti hang ja toh loh ti nang
- soh ma na ga ri tah toh
- pi sam lah loh pu sa pu
- ka pu bam too tahm wa ka
Each line of the Hah Taew has its own individual and magical meaning.
1. The first row prevents unjust punishment and helps situations and people to lean in your favor when the area is grey, cleans out unwanted spirits and protects the place you live in. So in general this line is for protection.
2. The second row protects against bad horoscope constellations and bad fortune and is generally thought to protect against bad business and therefore protect your wealth.
3. The third row is believed to protect you against black magic and curses and all supernatural forces.
4. The fourth row is thought to enhance your personal discipline and drive which in turn promotes success.
5. The fifth row is the charm row and is thought to help you become charismatic and attractive to others.
I’m sure you can see why it is so popular as it has fantastic attributes and covers a broad spectrum of ideals.
Keep following. Our next blog will be about the infamous twin tigers Sak Yant, made famous by Muay Thai fighters.
Thanks for reading.
The Bamboo Rooms®