A heavily tattooed Thai man trembles as he releases a full-throated animal scream. He struggles to his feet, seemingly against his will, and charges forward, only to be restrained by the brute force of temple officials.

The man is experiencing a trance state commonly witnessed at an annual ceremony that pays respect to a late sacred Thai tattoo master and former temple abbot.

Tens of thousands of believers over the weekend crowded onto the grounds of Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Pathom, some 50 kilometres west of the Thai capital, to re-energize their tattoos’ spiritual powers.

They gathered under a sweltering sun, sitting cross-legged on plastic mats, some with their heads bowed in meditation, and waited hours fora blessing from the temple’s current tattoo masters.

The spectacle of followers in trance states was constant. They roared like tigers, howled like monkeys and shouted like men possessed,assuming the animal powers of their magical ink.

Pongsakorn Yodchumpong, 30, whose body is covered in mystical insignia, was among those who entered such a state. His body shook,he growled, and he tried several times to stampede through the crowd.

His girlfriend later sat behind him, rubbing his ears to calm him down.

“I have no idea what caused it to happen,” he said, his eyes still red and watery from the trance. “I was sitting there listening to the speaker, and it slowly came on. I attend the ceremony every year, and it happens every year.”

Temple officials reminded visitors over a loudspeaker that the masters did not encourage them to enter a trance.

“They only want you to be grateful for the blessing,” they said.

Thailand’s sacred tattoos are believed to bring different types of good fortune, including protection, power, good luck and prosperity.

To harness the power of the sacred ink, disciples are instructed to follow basic Buddhist precepts, including not taking life and not consuming intoxicants, among others.

Still, few seemed sure what exactly causes the trance state.

“In theory, the ’wicha’ is being awakened, the magic implanted in them, this metaphysical substance that’s been planted in their bodies by the master,” said Joe Cummings, the author of Sacred Tattoos of Thailand and a recent TEDx Talk speaker on the subject.

“When they first have their tattoos done, they go into trance, and then when it’s recharged, it happens again because it’s being reawakened,” he told dpa.

In recent years, the popularity of traditional Thai tattoos, known as”sak yant,” has extended beyond the country’s borders, and many Westerners now appreciate their magical import.

Scattered throughout the crowd at Wat Bang Phra were many foreigners whose bodies were covered in Thai sacred tattoos.

“My German family thinks I’m crazy,” said Frank Kruppa, whose chest,back and upper arms are inked with 108 tattoos from the temple.

“But the tattoos have been very helpful for me, very powerful.”

Of the trances, Kruppa said he felt capable of entering such a state himself, but that he’s “afraid of what would happen.”

“I want to control my emotions. It’s better for me,” said the Berlin native, who is now a longtime resident of Bangkok.

The Hollywood star Angelina Jolie helped popularize Thai tattoos around the world when she had a “ha taew” (five lines) design inked on her left shoulder blade in 2003.

Jolie returned the following year and had a large, Thai-style tiger tattooed on her lower back.

The first tattoo given to disciples at Wat Bang Phra is known as the”gao yord,” which translates as the nine peaks, representative of the cosmological Mount Meru in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.

The interest in Thai tattoos has grown such that one high-end Bangkok resort, The Siam Hotel, created its own tattoo salon on site where a master from Wat Bang Phra inks guests.

“We’ve done (actress) Michelle Rodriguez, NBA basketball stars, it’s great,” said Jason Friedman, the former general manager of The Siam Hotel who oversaw the project.

Friedman attended the ceremony at Wat Bang Phra with hotel guests,and he rolled up his short sleeves to reveal intricate Thai tattoo patterns covering his upper arms and shoulders.

“I get a tingle when they chant, but I’ve never gone into a trance,” Friedman said.

An Italian man who asked not to be identified said he personally experienced the trance in previous years.

“I still haven’t figured it out,” he said. “I consider myself to be very grounded. I was in shock. When it happened to me, I went through a stage like I was in and out of a dream.

“It was like I kept coming and going in a conscious state of being.”