Golden Chituokhan Buddhist Temple at Gandan Monastery

It 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 Sutras, ancient codes and other personal belongings of Tsong Khapa. The "Yanbajian Hall" is a large four-story 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 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.