Songzanlin Monastery, or Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, is situated in Shangri-La in Yunnan Province in China. It was built in 1679 as the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan, also known as the "Little Potala Palace", attracting tourists from home and abroad.
"Ganden" indicates that the monastery inherits the religious doctrine of the Ganden Monastery, which was founded by Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), founder of Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism; "Sumtse" is the place where the three heavenly gods of Buddhism stay; and "ling" means monastery.
You will walk up the stairs to the main building of the monastery while visiting here. There are colorful statues and fresos in the temple, which is impressive to explore.
