Ganden Monastery is the first monastery of the Gelug Sect in Tibetan Buddhism. Together with Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery which were set up later, they are known as the “Three Great Monasteries of Lhasa”. In 1961, the Ganden Monastery was recognized as one of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at National Level.

Ganden Monastery was founded in 1409 by Je Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug or Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Since Tsongkhapa’s time, 97 generations of Ganden Khripas have ruled the monastery. As the master himself initiated the Ganden Monastery, acted as its first abbot and passed away in the monastery, Ganden Monastery has obtained an indisputable status among all the Gelug Sect Monasteries.