Thirteen monks were awarded the degree of Geshe Lharampa -- equivalent to a doctoral degree in modern education -- on Saturday in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.

The awarding ceremony was held in the Jokhang Temple in downtown Lhasa, the regional capital. Geshe Lharampa is the highest degree in exoteric teachings of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Those monks who received the degree are all revered Buddhists from Tibet and southwest China’s Yunnan Province.

Lozang Taktra, a 47-year-old monk from the Sera Monastery in Lhasa, won the first place, saying he would constantly improve his religious learning and maintain his love for the country and the religion.