Old photographs hanging on the monastery walls show some of the images in a more pristine form. It is reported that some gold has been removed on occasion to reduce its mass. 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.