In April 2017 a group of skilled lay Buddhists experienced in the traditional techniques of gilding Buddha images offered to re-coat the two main Buddha statues of Wat Pah Nanachat with gold leafs. The joint effort took about a week. Initially the old layers of gold and paint were carefully removed, and various irregularities on the statues brass surface were repaired, until a new grounding of an orange lacquer made according to an ancient recipe was applied. This needed to be done under a wide mosquito-net allowing the coating to dry without insects sticking to it. Then, with many calm, helping hands the tiny pieces of gold-leaf were gently rubbed on - square inch by square inch, and neatly polished such that the joints between them became nearly invisible. Finally, on April 10th, 2017, the whole monastic and lay-community of Wat Pah Nanachat gathered in a little ceremony to finish the process together by gilding the top flame of “Phra Buddha-Karuna”, the Buddha statue in the main Sala, using this auspicious opportunity to enshrine Buddha-relics in the head of the statue before putting the flame back up in place
