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.
Before the ban, only men were permitted to add gold leaf to the images. As part of the pilgrims' customs, they also wrap a small robe or thingan around the images and then take it back home to place on their own altar as a symbol of respect for the Buddha's teachings.