Amulet Box (Ga'u) Contents
Amulet boxes are commonly used to store all manner of sacred materials such as small texts, blessing cords, consecrated medicine, relics, and the like. Objects such as this were generally carried when traveling for some distance away from home, such as on pilgrimage, or for extended business trips away.
A complete amulet box generally has three parts: (1) the metal container of whatever shape, (2) a cloth covering with a buttoned fold for opening, and finally (3) the contents of the amulet box which can be an image made of metal, a small painting, tsa-tsa (stamped clay images), cuttings of cloth - such as from the robes of a sainted teacher that has passed away, protection string that has become too thread worn to wear, Tantric medicine (mendrub), or anything that is deemed special or blessed in some way.