Ganden Monastery near Lhasa, Tibet 19 Jan 2017
About this photo
Fifty structures were built into this natural amphitheatre set 3,800m above sea level. Located just outside Lhasa, Tibet, it forms one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in the region. Building of the Ganden Monastery started in 1409 by order of Je Tsongkhapa after he reformed Tibetan Buddhism, creating the school of Gelugpa, now the biggest school of Buddhism in Tibet. It was the first monastry built for the school and remains one of the Three Great Temples of Gelug alongside Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery.
During the Cultural Revolution (1966-79) Ganden Monastery came under fire and was reduced to rubble. The rebuilding of the monastery started in the 1980s and it currently houses 400 monks. Add a trip to Ganden Monastery on Insight Guides’ Tantalising Tibet trip.
