Gendun Drub

Gendun Drub (1391–1474), the First Dalai Lama, was born as Pema Dorje into a nomadic family in the Tsang region of Tibet and became a close disciple of Tsongkhapa, studying at Ganden Monastery and later spreading Gelug teachings across Tibet. He founded Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse in 1447, serving as its first abbot, and established prayer festivals there, training numerous abbots and scholars. Posthumously recognized as the first Dalai Lama, he authored key texts on Buddhist philosophy and passed away in meditation at age 84.