Gandan perches on the top of Mountain Wanrigu, 60 kms east of Lhasa, at an altitude of 3800m. It was founded in 1409 by Tsong Khasa, at originator of the Gelukpa, or Yellow Hatsect. As the abbot of Gandan, Tsong Khapa preached Buddhism and wrote many books here. Gandan covers an enormous area, as the building process continued for generations. It is one of the three principle Gelukpa monasteries in the Lhasa district.
Gandan consists of many temples and other buildings. The "Cuoqin Vihara" has 108 pillars and is large enough to house 3500 monks at one time. It contains the beautiful and skillfully carved bronze statues of maitreya and Tsong Khapa. The throne of Tsong Khapa plus his collection of Tibetan status can also be found there. The "Chituokhan Buddhist Temple" is one of the earliest buildings of Gandan, and this is where Tsong Khapa and successive Gandan abbots lived. The 7th Dalai Lama added an ornate golden pinnacle to the building. The temple contains many Buddhist Suras, ancient codes and other personal belongings of Tsong Khapa. The "Yanbajian Hall" is a large four-storey building with 72 pillars. Building began in 1409 and finished in 1416. A golden pinnacle was added to the hall in 1610 by the 4th Panchen Lama. The outside garden contains the stupa' s of successive abbots. Inside the hall is a suit of armor belonging to Chinese Emperor Qian Long, who presented it to Gandan in 1757. It is one of Gandan' s highly-prized treasures. The suit bears an inscription, written in Han, Manchu, Mongol and Tibetan, showing the Qing Emperor s respect of the Buddha.
"Shidoukhan Palace" contains the stupa of Tsong Khapa, and marks the place where he died on October 25, 1419. The following years Dama Bergin, a disciple of Tsong Khapa, built a silver stupa in his honor. In later years, the 13th Dalai Lama rebuilt this stupa in gold.
Gandan is also listed as one of the Tibet' s cultural relics, under the Special Protection of the State. During the Cultural Revolution, Gandan was badly damaged. Special funds are now provided by the state for its reconstruction.