Ganden Monastery

Ganden Monastery

Ganden Monastery or Ganden Namgyeling is one of the "great three" Gelug university monasteries of Tibet. It is in Dagzê County, Lhasa. The other two are Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery. Ganden Monastery was founded in 1409 by Je Tsongkhapa Lozang-dragpa, founder of the Gelug order. The monastery was destroyed after 1959, but has since been partially rebuilt.

Ganden is 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Lhasa. The monastery lies in a hilly natural amphitheater. from the kora route around the monastery there are dramatic views over the valleys that surround it.

Address: the south bank of the Lhasa River in Dazi County, Lhasa City

Cost: 40 yuan / person

Contact: 0891-6142077

Opening hours: 9:00-16:00

Arrival traffic: At the Lubu Parking Lot (near the Jokhang Temple), there is bus bound for Ganden Monastery at around 6:30am every morning.

Recommended visiting time: 2 hours