The monastery was built in the late 10th century and had its current name when it was rebuilt in 1677. It is one of the three great monasteries of the Rnyingma Sect. The monastery has paid attention to the research of Buddhist classics, astronomical calendar, calligraphy rhetoric and Tibetan medicines and is famous for its achievements in these fields.

Over the years the recommendation of the "Chronology of the Tibetan Calendar" has been formulated by the monastery, and it is famous as the first academy of Lamaism in Tibet.