Before the ban on gold leaf, only men were permitted to place gold leaf on the images. Another part of the ritual for pilgrims is to place a small robe or thingan around the images, and to take the robe back to their houses and place it on their own altar as a token of respect for the Buddha and his teachings.
Prior to the prohibition on gold leaf, only males were allowed to adorn images with gold leaf. Another aspect of the pilgrims' ritual involves encircling the images with a small robe or thingan and then taking it back home to place it on their own altar as an expression of reverence for the Buddha and his teachings.