Online praying platforms mushroomed just a few days before the annual college entrance examinations (Gaokao). Parents are busy praying to Buddha at temples as well as online for their children to get good marks, China News Service reports.

Buddha Wenshu, who is said to represent wisdom, and Buddha Puxian, who is said to represent confidence. [Photo / Chinanews.com]

On Friday, special platform for praying for the Gaokao was discovered in a famous website's education column. On the left side of the webpage, there was Buddha Wenshu, who is said to represent wisdom, and on the right is Buddha Puxian, who is said to represent confidence.

Internet users can simply click the 'pray button' and fill in their name and wishes. In just a few days, thousands of people prayed online, 80% of which was parents praying for their children.

According to the site, most clicks were from Henan, Heilongjiang, Shanghai, Shandong, Jiangsu, Sichuan Provinces and Guangxi Autonomous Region.

One prayer, Zhang Bin, said that she prayed for her daughter to get accepted by Tianjin Medical University.

Also, Buddhism websites have received serious traffic with the Gaokao drawing near. Temples are also seeing the rush.

Opinions on this differ. Feng Yongqiang disagrees praying, saying that it is unnecessary and useless. However, Wu Liang says the parents are simply seeking psychological comfort.

An education expert from Zhengzhou University said that students' academic level and state of mind are important in achieving good marks in the exams and suggests that parents avoid putting too much pressure on their children.