Monks attend the debate activity, a part of the award ceremony of the degree of Geshe Lharampa held in the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

LHASA, April 5  -- Thirteen monks were awarded the degree of Geshe Lharampa on Monday in the Jokhang Temple in downtown Lhasa.

Geshe Lharampa, which means "intellectual" in the Tibetan language, is the highest academic degree for the Gelugba School -- also known as the Yellow Sect -- of Tibetan Buddhism. The history of Geshe Lharampa goes back 400 years.