A sacred monument at Samten Hills Dalat, Vietnam, decorated with gold leaves

What is the meaning of gold? Gold’s meaning varies across continents, cultures and eras, often symbolising preciousness, inner nobility, and virtues. Today, we want to talk about gold as a synonym of spirituality and enlightenment, outlining one of the noblest images of this metal, at least for us at Giusto Manetti Battiloro.

Our gold leaf was used to cover the entire surface of the “Drigung Kagyu Rinchen Khorchen Khorwe Go Gek”, a sacred monument in Vietnam, situated in the cultural and spiritual Buddhist space of Vajira Thua, a popular destination for tourists and pilgrims: Samten Hills Dalat.

In this case, we used the highly durable 23.75K gold leaf, known for its vivid yellow hue, making it easily visible from afar. This choice was ideal for outdoor gilding, as it requires no additional protection. At Giusto Manetti Battiloro, we believe excellence and performance go hand in hand. That’s why we meticulously analyse every detail, application, and potential challenge.

The spiritual significance of gold in Buddhist sacred architecture

As we said earlier, gold is considered a spiritual symbol in some cultures and religions. For example, in Buddhism, gold represents enlightenment, especially if it is spun. In Buddhism, spinning the wheel of prayer means spreading the prayer across the world. As a result, these materials – gold and the wheel – form an extremely powerful spiritual lever.

In this particular project, even dimensions were an essential aspect to be considered. With its 16.53 metres in diameter and 37.22 m in height, Drigung Kagyu Rinchen Khorchen Khorwe Go Gekota is the world’s largest wheel of prayer, breaking the Guiness World Record in 2022.

According to a rough calculation, our gold leaf was applied to a surface measuring about 2400 sq.m.
The gilding required one year and a half to complete – not a record for our company but, for sure, one of the most impressive projects ever – showcasing our expertise in gold leaf application for international projects.

The importance of decorating and restoring gold monuments

Magnificence alone is not enough to determine the prestige of a project. We at Giusto Manetti Battiloro believe that gold also embodies splendour, preciousness, and brightness. Gold has the power to transform a square into an attraction or a meeting point, it enhances the value of any sculpted figure, and symbolises inner light.
Gold means all these elements put together, like the world’s largest wheel of prayer, which shines from afar, collecting light and gathering an ocean of people.