Situated 45 kilometers east of Lhasa, covering an enormous area and consisting of many temples and other buildings at an altitude of 3800m, the monastery of Gandan was founded in 1409 by Tsongkhapa on the Gokpori ridge of Mount Wanpur, overlooking the south bank of the river and the Phenyul valley beyond. It was the first and foremost Gelukpa monastery constructed by Tsongkhapa himself. 

The main hall was not completed until 1417, two years before Tsongkhapa died after announcing his disciple, Gyeltsab Je, as the new leader of the Gelugpa order or Gandan Tripa. The following years Dama Bergin, a disciple of Tsongkhapa, built a silver stupa in his honor. In later years, the 13th Dalai Lama rebuilt this stupa in gold. During the Cultural Revolution, Gandan was badly damaged, and what you see today is all reconstruction with the special funds provided by the State. The highlight of the monastery is the Serdung Lhakhang. It contains a huge gold and silver chorten. The original contained the body of Tsongkhapa, but now only a few pieces of skull survived the destruction are in the reconstructed chorten. 

Looking from distance, Gandan monastery looks very much like a castle. Some one says that Mt. Wanpur resembles a sitting elephant with the Gandan Monastery on its Back. Some other one says it is an auspicious symbol to the Tibetans that the view shows Mt. Wanpur as the kind Dorlijiaing with the Gandan in her arms. It has been listed as one of the Tibet's cultural relics, under the Special Protection of the State.