The Ganden Monastery was built by
Tsong Khapa, the founder of Gelugpa (the Yellow Sect
of Lamaism) of the Tibetan Lamaism, in the 7th year (1409)
during the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Ganden Monastery
was the ancestral temple of Gelugpa, and was granted the name of Yongtai Temple
by Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Its tripa, abbot of the
monastery, is actually the Throne Holder of Gelugpa, which is Panchen Lama and
Dalai Lama's order.
Though small in scale at the very beginning,
the monastery was expanded many times till its buildings prevailed all over the
mountain where it is located. Originally the monastery
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 3,300
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 a gold roof to it in 1610.
At the peak of its splendor, the Ganden
Monastery had towers side by side, and halls here and there, being thriving and
prosperous. Among the towers, Serdhung, a three-storeyed building which houses
Tsong Khapa's and his successors' stupas, is the most famous among the early
structures. Other buildings like Tri Thok Khang, which is the residence of Tsong
Khapa and the successive tripas, the Great Scripture
Hall, monks' dorms are famous as well. Most of the buildings that we see
today have fallen into disuse.