With many barefoot, Buddhist monks from Myanmar and Thailand and senior religious officials from a dozen countries collected alms next to an airport in the central city of Mandalay, that is also a heartland of the faith.

As the sun rose over the ancient town, a sea of saffron and maroon-robed monks assembled in an area the size of a football field.

They meditated, prayed and collected alms in an event meant to tighten the relationship of “monks and Buddhists between (the) two countries” and to “strengthen the monkhood” in the region, according to a statement.

“I hope we can continue to hold bigger events in the coming years,” said U Thu Nanda, a 24-year-old Burmese monk.