Ganden Monastery - Birthplace of Tibetan Gelugpa

Ganden Monastery is one of the earliest and largest Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. With over 600 years of history for building in 1409 by Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug Sect, it stands atop the six famous temples of Gelugpa, and is also known as one of the Three Great Temples in Lhasa, together with the Sera Monastery and the Drepung Monastery. In the meaning of bliss and contentedness in Tibetan, Ganden Monastery is the main dwelling of successive Gelug abbots, and many of these revered masters' stupas, tombs enshrining their relics, are within the monastery. With an orderly architectural layout of standing Buddha halls, towering roofs, splendid stupas, Ganden Monastery is arranged well with vivid colors of black windows, white walls and golden roofs, like a castle under the heavens. Besides, the kinds of architectural buildings and a large quantity of cultural relics and handicrafts are worth visiting. Along the winding, twisty road up, you can appreciate the authentic holy land under the blue sky.

As the first Gelugpa monastery, Ganden Monastery has an important role in Tibetan religious culture. It is the product of the reformation movement practiced by Tsongkhapa in the early 15th century. Its establishment signifies that the Gelug sect possesses a foundational monastery. With a high rank status in Tibet, there was a heyday when over 4000 monks lived in the monastery after the construction in 1409. In 1980, there was a thorough reconstruction of some major buildings, including the holy stupas of Tsongkhapa, scripture halls, Buddhist halls, etc.

The Founder & Gelug Sect

Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), the founder of Ganden Monastery, who was supposed to be the reincarnation of Manjusri, born in Qinghai, first encountered Buddhism when he was three years old. After studying Buddhist doctrine for 9 years in Xia Qiong Temple, he left Qinghai for Tibet for further study at the age of 16. In the later years, he learned from different sects’ monks and absorbed all the essentials of the Buddha Dharma. At the same time, he got more and more reputation in Tibet.

With the development of Tibetan Buddhism, irregularities emerged in the academic, religious, and monastic practices of sects such as the Kagyu and Sakya. Disappointed at those undesirable phenomena, Tsongkhapa reined in his disciples and followers into a strict new order- the Gelug sect was established with an austerity of monastic life and emphasized the primacy of philosophical study. In order to distinguish themselves from other sects, he and his followers wore yellow, peach-shaped hats. Hence, the Gelug sect is also called the Yellow Hat sect. In 1409, the Ganden Monastery, as the first Gelug Monastery, was built near Lhasa, and Tsongkhapa was the first abbot of Ganden Monastery.

As the first Gelug temple, Ganden Monastery once was a massive building complex with typical Buddhist buildings and many historical relics. What’s more, in Ganden Monastery, you can join in the grand traditional festival called the Tsongkhapa Butter Lamp Festival.

Historical and cultural relics

There are many precious historical and cultural relics left in Ganden Monastery, including beautiful murals and sculptures, elaborate Thangkas, dating back to the Ming dynasty, and the armor carved with four languages and decorated with jewelry that was bestowed by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty in 1757.

Architectural Splendor

As a revered cultural and spiritual hub of Tibet, Ganden Monastery is composed of over 50 structures, including assemblies, shrines, chapels, pagodas, and some other halls for Buddhist chanting or learning. The Tsochin Hall, the biggest assembly, contains over one hundred massive pillars and different sections of lobby halls, chapels, and Buddha palaces. Most of the chapels are two-storey buildings that could accommodate over one hundred Buddhists chanting at the same time.

Nestled against the mountainside, these buildings, most with white walls and red roofs, and some with vermilion red walls and golden yellow exteriors, have different purposes. Red ones mainly house Dharma protector shrines or key scripture study halls, golden ones serve as the monastery's core religious ritual sites, holding supreme status, while white-walled buildings with red rooftops form the heart of the monastery's religious activities and monastic daily life. Such as the Tri Thok Khang, known as the clothing-preserving Hall, once served as the bedchamber of Tsongkhapa and his successors, was the place for them to learn esoteric methods. And the Serdhung is the Holy Stupa Hall to keep the body of each abbot by building a pagoda here.

Tsongkhapa Butter Lamp Festival

Tsongkhapa Butter Lamp Festival, celebrated in whole Tibet is the most important traditional festival in Ganden Monastery to commemorate its founder. On October 25 of the Tibetan calendar, the death date of Tsongkhapa, this festival is quite solemn and grand. During the daytime, the 26 meters long, 10 meters wide tapestry of Buddha hangs outside the temple, and at night, all the butter lamps light up the whole monastery to make the worship all night. The local Tibetans around villages prepare the butter lamps several days in advance and light them up on that day and put them along the window side. If you stay overnight here, you can find that this region is covered with dim lighting.

Compared with some other attractions in Lhasa, Ganden Monastery is a bit far from the city area. But the road offers a great view. Located in the Dazi County, at the top of Wangbur Mountain with 3800 meters above sea level, it's about 50 km north of Lhasa downtown area—a 1.5-hour drive away. Most visitors journey to the monastery from downtown Lhasa, with convenient options including taxis, buses, and private transfers. However, public transportation can be cumbersome, especially when there are language barriers. And please be warmly noted that independent travel is not available for foreigners in Tibet. So if you need any help, please feel free to reach out to us. In our Tibet tour packages, we take care of everything for you, including airport/train private transfers, tickets, meals, accommodation, etc. Contact us now >>

For your reference, we offer distances from the main attractions and transportation hubs to Gandan Monastery as follows.

● about 57 km away from Potala Palace

● about 55.5 km away from Barkhor Street

● about 63 km away from Lhasa Railway Station

● about 115 km away from Lhasa Gonggar International Airport

1. Open Time: 9:00 to 16:00, except during holidays and major events.

2. Best Time to Visit: Summer months (June to August) are the best time to visit Ganden Monastery with great scenery and meet the Buddha ceremony during the Shoton Festival on June 30 of Tibetan calendar.

3. Ticket: CNY 40 per person

4. Manners & Taboos: Visit in a clockwise direction. Do not step on the doorsill and do not smoke in the halls; do not take photos without permission; do not wear a hat or sunglasses entering inside.

5. Other Attractions: If you have enough time, the Ganden Kora (walking in a clockwise direction) is great experience to meet stunning views of the nearby Kyi-chu Valley and encounter large numbers of pilgrims, rubbing holy rocks and prostrating themselves along the path; for hikers, the 80 km pilgrimage road from Ganden Monastery to Samya Monastery is worth trying during the months from May to October. In this 4-day trekking trip, you can encounter valleys, temples, lakes, hillside fields, desert, villages, groves, and more to experience authentic Tibet's nature.