First Storey

Surrounding the Hundred Buddhas along the entire expanse of the side walls are the gilt Maitreya Gaus in their respective alcoves.

A Gau (Ghau, Gao) is a Tibetan Buddhist amulet container, prayer box, or portable shrine, usually made of metal, used to hold and carry powerful amuletic objects and Buddha statue. As used in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and Mongolia, the Gau box usually contains a written prayer or a sacred yantra diagram such as the kalachakra. The prayers and yantras are usually hand-inscribed or block-printed by a priest and they are always blessed before use.

Vajrayana practitioners usually carry their gaus around their neck, for protection and for their spiritual practice.

The process of ornamenting metallic surfaces with designs in relief, forcefully impressed from the back by hand (known as repoussé) has been applied to this portable shrine called a Gau. Traditionally, this handy gau contained an image of the traveller’s personal deity. Designed to protect the holder from evil spirits while travelling to strange lands, it also contained mantras handwritten and blessed by lamas, ritual amulets and even earth or grass from the voyager's homeland.

In a Tibetan home, the gau is fashioned in a form more familiar as a shrine placed on an altar, but for the occasional explorer or the nomadic herder , the more manageable small sized gau would be worn over the shoulder, around the neck, or attached to a silk belt.

In Buddhism, portable shrines or gaus were made for the convenience of devout travellers. When faced with nowhere to worship or practise Dharma, the gaus would come in handy. Usually, the gaus were box-shaped so the shrines and other precious items could be easily placed inside them.

In some places, miniature Buddhas and Goddesses were placed inside small lacquer casesand carried on the wrist.

In Tibet, the shrines were sometimes made of metal, and carried on the -shoulder or neck.

Found in areas influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, the Tibetan amulet-box, also known as gau (Tib. g’au) is essentially a protective hard container for all types of small sacred items to be kept whilst travelling.

The type of gau that the Maitreya gau is modelled on is called g’au dawang or g’au drepang and is a type of large shrine-shaped amulet box worn by men in central or southern Tibet. It is called g’au chagab or g’au chengab in Eastern Tibet.

The gau is usually a three-piece metal item consisting of an ornate front, a detachable back and the enclosed object. Made of beaten bronze, silver or wood, its front is normally decorated with the eight auspicious symbols (also known as ashtamangala [tib. tashi tagye]) and interlocking floral patterns which may be inlaid with turquoise, amber or coral semi-precious stones. The front bottom is decorated with a monster mask called dzi bar or tsipatar (tib.) which was derived from the Indian kirtimukha or ‘face of glory’ (an emanation of Lord Siva found above temple entrances) but combined with the garuda. This winged monster has the sun/moon symbol on its head and grasps serpents or foliage with its two arms.

The front piece has an opening which mirrors the outside shape, through which the enclosed object can be seen. It is traditionally worn as a personal object of protection or charm inside thick Tibetan clothing.

The enclosed item—customarily a Buddha or deity image—can be made of metal, stone, wood or clay (such as tsa tsas). It could even be a miniature religious painting (known as tsakli). The rest of its inner, unseen cavity may be filled with other items such as sandalwood, perfumed fillings, other important relics, precious stones, blessing cords, blessed medicine (known as mendrub) or rolled mantras.

The detachable back cover is commonly made of copper. It is usually quite plain but may bear some religious engravings.

By its very nature of being a portable shrine (albeit there are some large gaus clearly intended for shrines at home), the gau is made with side handles to facilitate securing it by ropes, cloth or leather straps or chains.

Gaus are made in a myriad of shapes and sizes and these can be divided into the following five main categories:

1. Boxes with engraved letters
2. Shrine-shaped (g’au dawang or g’au chagab)
3. Square-shaped
4. Round-shaped
5. Others such as long cylindrical shapes or two intersecting squares.