Ganden Monastery

CHINA, Tibet, Lhasa

The monastery’s full name is Ganden Namgyeling, which means the Land of the Joyful and Supreme. Ganden is also the Tibetan for Tusita Heaven. It is located 36 km from Potala Palace. Drepung, Ganden, and Sera are the Three Major Monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism in Lhasa. It was built in 1409 by Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug school. He was enthroned and passed away there. The monastery suffered considerable damage from 1966 to 1976 and was extensively renovated after 1980. It was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 1961.
The monastery faces east and was built according to the contours of the hill. Its main buildings are the central hall, Serdung Hall, two Buddhist colleges, and 23 monastic quarters. The central hall was expanded in 1720. The four-story Serdung Hall, completed in 1417, contains the Yangpachen Shrine on the second story. The golden reliquary of Tsongkhapa is located in this shrine.
The monastery contains a number of precious artifacts. The best known items include 24 silk thangkas from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) made in Jiangnan (region south of the Yangtze River), an imperial armor bestowed by Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1736–1795) of the Qing dynasty, the throne of Tsongkhapa when he took office, and the meditation bed on which he passed away.