Traditional rite: A parade of local Buddhist monks was part of the ceremony. — VNS Photo Phuoc Buu

THUA THIEN - HUE (VNS)  — Thousands of people gathered yesterday at Huong Van Zen Monastery in central Thua Thien - Hue Province to pray to King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308) for peace and prosperity.

At the ceremony, attended by provincial leaders, Buddhist followers and residents of Thua Thien-Hue and neighbouring Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Quang Nam provinces, monks conducted rituals praying for favourable weather and bumper crops.

King Tran Nhan Tong became a Buddhist monk after quitting the throne and remained one for the rest of his life. His connection to this region came when he married his daughter, Princess Huyen Tran (1287-1340), to King Jaya Sinhavarman III of the Kingdom of Champa in 1306. As part of the dowry, the Champa king gave O and Ly provinces to King Tran Nhan Tong. The land is now part of Quang Tri Province, Thua Thien - Hue Province, Da Nang City and Quang Nam Province.

Local residents hold a ceremony marking the princess's death anniversary on the ninth day of every lunar year. In 2008, authorities built a complex of temples and a monastery on the province's holy mountain of Ngu Phong to worship the king and the princess. — VNS