Ganden
Monastery
 The
monastery lies 45 kilometers (28 miles)
east of Lhasa. Lying at the mountainside,
it looks magnificent and grand. Tsong Khapa,
the founder of Gelugpa, established it in
1409. A story says that when Tsong Khapa
and his disciples were selecting construction
site a crow pecked his hat suddenly and
dropped it on the mountainside. Then the
monastery was constructed there in accordance
with Buddha's wish. Ganden monastery is
the first Gelugpa monastery in Tibet. Its
tripa, abbot of the monastery, is actually
the Throne Holder of Gelugpa, which is Panchen
Lama and Dalai Lama's order.
Main structures in the monastery
consist of the Main Assembly Hall (Tshomchen)
and Tantric colleges. The hall has 108 pillars
and occupies a floor space of 1,600 square
meters, capable of holding 3,500 lamas.
Maitreya and Tsong Khapa are enshrined and
worshiped in the hall. Left of the huge
hall is a small hall, which was the numen
chapel of the monastery. The chapel was
built in 1416 and the fourth Panchen added
gold roof to it in 1610. Behind the chapel,
there is a huge stone flying here from India
according to legend.
Tri Thok Khang is one of the
early structures, which is the residence
of Tsong Khapa and the successive tripas.
Their clothing has been kept in the hall.
In 1720, it was expanded and its gold roof
was constructed during reign of the Seventh
Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas usually would stay
here during visits.
 Serdhung
is a three-story building which houses Tsong
Khapa's and his successors' stupas. In 1419,
Tsong Khapa died and his disciples built
the hall to house his tomb which was made
of 900 taels of silver, equaling more than
1100 troy ounces. The thirteenth Dalai Lama
changed it into gold later. More than 95
silvers tombs were built for deceased Ganden
tripas.
Ganden monastery has two Tantric
colleges which were both built by Tsong
Khapa's disciples. Both the chanting halls
of the two can hold 1,500 lamas chanting.
Except for the two, there are more than
20 small chanting halls, which belong to
different Khangtsens, smaller organizations
than colleges. Each of them can house 200
chanting monks. Dormitories and Debating
Courtyards are scattered in the monastery.
Debating is an essential training method
for lamas, and will be held almost every
morning.
The monastery has extremely
delicate and fine murals and sculptures.
It also keeps an armor decorated with gems,
which was worn by Emperor Qianlong and was
bestowed to the monastery as an offer to
Tsong Khapa. Its thangkas are special and
similar with embroidery of south China.
The most important and valuable arts left
are the paintings of Buddha and Jataka stories
drawn by the First Panchen Lama.
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