Founding of Ganden Monastery

Timeline

1. 1409Jokhang Temple, Lhasa · LhasaIn the first lunar month of 1409, Tsongkhapa presided over an unprecedented Great Prayer Festival (Monlam Chenmo) in Lhasa, repairing the Jokhang and gathering monks and laypeople of all schools. The festival displayed the results of his discipline and Madhyamaka reforms, gathering devotees and offerings for the establishment of a fixed mother monastery that same year.
2. 1409Ganden Monastery site, Wangbur Mountain · DagzêAt his disciples' request, Tsongkhapa gave up his long itinerant life, held groundbreaking and foundation ceremonies on Wangbur Mountain northeast of Lhasa, and built the main assembly hall and monks' quarters, naming the monastery Ganden. Construction was supervised by Gyaltsab Je and Khedrup Je, attracting many ordained and lay devotees.
3. 1409–1410Ganden Monastery · DagzêGanden Monastery established a program of graded sutra and tantra study, debate, and strict discipline, with Tsongkhapa serving as the first Ganden Tripa. The fixed mother monastery gave the Gelug school an organizational core and provided an institutional model for disciples' later construction of Drepung and Sera near Lhasa.