Five Gold Buddhas

These were the five special Buddha images in the Phaung Daw Oo Paya. They were so encrusted with gold leaf that they appeared to be just blobs. Men were adding more gold leaf when this photo was taken. We heard that women were not allowed to do this in many of the temples, but do not know if they were allowed to put gold leaf on here. This Buddhist practice was intended to gain merit for the donor, making it more likely that the donor's next life would be on a higher level.